La Petite Mort: The Buildup
by WistfulSin
Summary: A series of prequel shorts leading up to the events of Le Petite Mort based on the 2019 Inktober prompts. Tales of fluff, crushes, mystery, emotion, relationships, and trouble, all the things that a true high school experience is made of. ModernAU. OCs and canon cast.
1. Ring

Cold and clinging to his cheeks, the rain weighed down Hiei's hair as he stood under the awning of a shop waiting for the storm to pass. The owner scrutinized him through the window with narrowed eyes and suspicion that radiated through the glass like a shout for his attention. He ignored it. Crimson eyes turned skyward, he studied the burdened clouds and knew they weren't even close to relenting. He was already soaked through, so what did it matter really?

He hated wet socks but there was nothing he could do about it now.

A voice distorted the line of smoke trailing from his cigarette, the sound of it familiar enough to earn a glance from him.

"Do you want to get out of the rain?"

Red hair framed a face too pretty to be looking at him. Eyes the color of cobalt glass never wavered as they probed him, unrelenting. She was impossible to disregard. Standing a few inches over him she charged the air around her in a way only a few others had ever managed in his experience. A droplet followed the curve of her jaw before disappearing as she pushed her braided hair behind her shoulder. Like him, her uniform was weighed down. Unlike him, she looked natural with her clothes sticking to her skin, like this was how she was meant to walk around.

He offered no answer, instead shifting his gaze away from her entirely. There was no way she was speaking to him anyway. Girls like her didn't sidle up to boys like him.

And they definitely didn't invite him places.

"C'mon." Her fingers found his wrist at his side and circled it, tugging him along with her as she began to walk.

Hiei's cigarette nearly fell from his lips as he realized what was happening. He allowed her to lead him a few steps into an alley before pulling free. The smoke stopped rising as the rain dampened him and his vice. It didn't matter, he had more.

"What are you doing?" His gruff question earned a quizzical head tilt. When he narrowed his eyes into a scathing glare, lips twisting into a snarl as he raised his chin, she didn't pale or flee.

"I'm trying to keep you from catching pneumonia." The response fell between them, spoken flatly and landing the same. Her expression smoothed into nothing for a moment before one eyebrow ticked ever so slightly upward.

"I don't need your help. Don't touch me." He sneered.

"Boys." She sighed and rolled her head back on her neck to bask in the rain. When she righted herself to look at him again it was with curiosity. "Are you saying you won't come with me?"

"I don't even know where you want to go."

"You'd know by now if you hadn't stopped us."

A clap of thunder rocked over the city drowning out all other noise for a moment. Hiei stiffened and then hunkered down into a wider stance, eyes scanning the tumultuous heavens. His fingers pulled the useless, wasted cigarette from his lips before he allowed it to fall to the ground. Another startlingly loud boom threatened to deafen him. He looked over at her, not sure why he did, and couldn't be bothered to look away again for a few seconds. She stood with a grin splitting her face, lighting her up from the inside and when she laughed it bled into the clamor of the sky breaking open. When she met his stare it was with wry amusement and a wink. She held up three fingers then counted down to one before clapping her palms together just as another burst sounded.

"It's a brilliant storm." Her voice cut through the downpour and the wind to reach him. "But there are better places to observe it."

When she gestured for him to follow he did so without further complaint. Out of curiosity and out of a desire to get away from the wetness. His shoes were practically flooded, they'd take days to dry at this rate. She led him through a few alleyways, traced the veins of the city like they were her own, until they stood together outside a green-glass castle of an old abandoned greenhouse protected by a broken wooden fence that hadn't stopped anyone from throwing trash into the lot. At it's back stood an adjoining shed, connected. Dancing through overgrown grass and around discarded tires she made her way to the door. It opened for her like he assumed all doors would for the rest of her life. Easily.

The strange mossy hue the amber street lights transformed into once he walked in after her made the space feel otherworldly. Vines made homes up the walls and across the forgotten tables. Some of the pots were new, though. Tended to. He knew the signs because he watched Kurama work and visited the school nursery to collect his friend. How often did she come to this place? How long had those orchids been growing for? Did she even care that anyone could come in here and crush her primrose plants? She'd afforded so much energy to something that could be taken from her in seconds.

And she left it unlocked, just begging to be ruined.

The rain hit the glass roof and flooded over the edges of the building, a river above and around them. He watched the torrent move, shifting as the wind picked up and died down. The sound of her bag landing on a table drew his eyes back to her. He hadn't even noticed that she'd opened the wooden door at the back, but she stood in the shed bathed in white light from a fresh bulb. How did this place have power?

He heard the whir of a generator and found his question answered.

She bent forward slightly at the waist, wringing rain from her fiery braids. Draped over a drying rack was her school jacket. As he watched she removed her shoes, then added her socks to the rack. He could just make out the small portable heater from behind her legs.

"The rain is lovely but it does make a mess of things, doesn't it?" She asked, tossing him a careless smile. "Did you want to dry off?"

He edged closer to the door and remained quiet as he assessed the interior of the shed. Small, clean, three chairs situated around a small table. The generator hummed it's power as it performed it's job dutifully. The heater did it's best to combat the humidity but wasn't quite strong enough to clean the stubborn water from their skin. Swallowing, he stopped moving as she began to unbutton her blouse. She shirked it off to add to the rack revealing a thin-strapped tank top underneath. He couldn't help but notice the straps of her bra alongside those of the shirt.

His tongue wet his bottom lip but he said nothing.

"I don't bite." She joked to him, giggling gently.

"I feel like you're lying to me." He offered in response despite his best effort to keep quiet. His words earned another laugh, this one from her chest. "Do you have a towel?"

"I do, actually." She moved toward a small shelf next to a sink. Above the basin on the wall there was a stained, foggy mirror, cracked on the edges.

She plucked a towel from the shelf and walked it over to him on bare feet. He accepted it cautiously, then began to wipe at the water dripping down his nape before moving the terrycloth to his hair. He eyed the heater and where her shoes rested in front of its grate. The squelching of his toes in his sneakers wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Do you live here?" He asked, knowing it was a ridiculous thought to have. Of course she didn't. Girls like her, in clean uniforms with never-before-used books didn't live in shacks. They lived in manors and multi-floor houses where someone else cooked their food and made sure they woke up on time.

"Only when I want to." She replied with a burdened sigh. "They always find me sooner or later and make me go back, though."

He nodded, not knowing who she referred to and not caring enough to ask.

"It's nice though, isn't it?" She urged him to answer in the affirmative with her bright excitement.

"Nicer than some places."

Her face fell slightly. Her fingers pushed up through her bangs before she eyed him again.

"You'd dry out faster if you took off all those sopping clothes, you know." She gestured to the drying rack.

"Did you invite me here to take advantage of me?" He deadpanned, glaring at her. Her wide-eyed, open mouth shock got to him. He couldn't help the grin that slipped out, nor the chuckle that followed it.

"Oh you're joking." She blinked and then smirked away from him. "For a moment I thought you'd cut to the core of my dastardly plan."

He snorted at that, carefully removing his shoes. A small puddle of water dumped out of each of them. Lips pursed he stared at the mess then heaved an annoyed sigh. There was no way a few minutes in front of a heater would fix this. Still, he placed his shoes near hers and unbuttoned his uniform top. The garment came to rest on the level under her jacket and shirt. His socks followed, leaving him uncomfortably aware of the floor under his soles. She went back to moving around, fussing about the plants and watering them with care. He stayed close to the heater for a short while, thankful for it's warmth.

Who knew the next time he'd be near one?

"I'm Takani Amon-Shinpi, by the way. I'm in class 3-A. You're in class 2-D, right? Jaga-"

"Hiei." He cut her off. "I go by Hiei. And I know who you are."

"I suppose that makes sense. Most people do." Her voice trailed off, her eyes losing focus for a moment. "Anyway, thank you for coming with me today."

He didn't have much a choice, he almost told her. But it wasn't true. He could have turned and left. He could have demanded she leave. Instead he'd followed and now he was stuck there waiting for his shoes to dry by her heater. She didn't seem to like that he knew of her, which surprised him. Surely she'd expected as much. Why else would she have grabbed him with such disregard? Everyone at their school knew about the Takani siblings: Kuya and Amon-Shinpi in their second year and their brother who went to middle school. He was in the same year as Kurama's step-brother. What she wanted with a second year like him he couldn't guess. She'd been at Meiou since the year before and they'd spoken before.

Unless…

When she didn't speak again for a while he felt the familiar itch under his shoulder blades that demanded he make a declaration.

"Kurama-Shuichi I guess—-doesn't date."

She paused in her diligent work of making notes about the plant she was tending, then turned to him with eyebrows pulled down toward her wrinkled nose.

"Okay?" She drawled the response.

"I just figured it would be best to let you know now." He explained firmly, arms crossing over his chest. "It's nothing personal. He just doesn't see the need for it."

Her gaze shifted to the side as she visibly tried to work out the answer to a tough question. After a moment she returned her focus to him. "I'm sorry Hiei, did I say something about Shuichi earlier?"

"No."

"Then why are you telling me he won't date me?"

"Because he won't."

"Yes, I grasp that. Thank you for reiterating it a third time. I suppose what I meant was, why do you think I care about whether or not he wants to date? I've been told before that I flirt effortlessly. Is that what happened? Did I say something to or about him to suggest I was interested? If so, I'm very sorry, because it was not intentional. I'm sure you'll pass the message on." She watched his arms tighten along with his jaw as she spoke. "It would be a romance of futility, at any rate."

It was Hiei's turn to look caught off guard.

"You're not interested in Kurama?" He pressed, finally.

She shrugged. "He's not a very open person. That makes it difficult to assess whether or not I'm interested. I'd like to get to know him better, I suppose. But the opportunity isn't there and I'm certainly not going to go hunting for it."

"Then why did you drag me out here?" The question was impossible to utter without his confusion leaking into the words. He'd been sure that he'd puzzled out her hospitality. It was the only thing that made sense. Girls only cozied up to him either as a joke or to get an in with his friend. This didn't feel like a joke, at least not yet. That left only one option.

Amon-Shinpi wanted to get with Kurama and needed to use Hiei to get her there.

"Because you had been standing, soaking wet, in front of that store for ten minutes waiting for the rain to stop." She told him firmly, some agitation coloring her tone. "And the shop keeper kept eying you like you were a criminal. I was annoyed about it. So I thought I'd at least bring you out of the rain for a little while, maybe get to know you a little. I'd seen you around school but everyone steers clear of you, just like they do me."

No, it wasn't the same at all, Hiei thought. Classmates avoided him because he was trouble, bad luck, no good. A tarnish upon the school's reputation. They avoided her for the opposite reason: she was too good for them.

The daughter of a diplomat. Dangerously intelligent, in Kurama's words. Wealthy. Attractive.

Her aligning them into the same category made no sense to him.

"You shouldn't have brought me here." He confessed, realizing too late he had accidentally abused some giving part of her nature. "If people think you're associating with me they'll start talking. There's a reason I don't have many friends, Takani. You don't want to ruin your future by helping out strays like me."

Her eyebrows shot up as she stared at him.

"I'm being serious." He held her gaze.

"I can tell. Which is why I'm so appalled." Her mouth screwed up to the side for a second before she pinched her eyes closed. With a sneer she ran through her thoughts before emerging with eyes that could solder metal for their clear heat. "Do people really speak to you like this? Tell you that you're a stray? That's such an awful thing to have to hear. It's infuriating, really. I don't understand why you can stand there so calmly and recite such an injustice like it's meaningless."

"Are you angry?" Crimson eyes blinked slowly, arms unraveling from Hiei's middle to fall to his sides.

"Of course I'm angry! Who wouldn't be after hearing you talk about yourself that way?" Her words came out hot.

He swallowed down a strange warm sensation as it threatened to coat his tongue and his stomach.

"Honestly, people. I hate them sometimes. I really do. I just, I don't get it." She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, the flame danced as she turned the tip of the smoke bright red with a deep inhale. After exhaling, she continued while gesturing with the cigarette in her hand. "And you, where do you get off being so fucking casual about all of this? Someone convinced you that you were worthless. Be angry! Be indignant! Do you want a smoke?"

She extended the pack, breaking out of her furious tirade for a moment to sound welcoming and calm. He stalked closer to her and accepted her offering, watching her with guarded awe. He hadn't taken her for the type to smoke. Didn't good girls normally avoid such things?

"Here, I'll light it." She cupped her hand around the flame to prevent it from wavering despite the still air as Hiei took a drag, eyes rolling closed for just a second.

"I'm always angry. That's why people don't like me." He offered with subdued humor. "I'm angry and I'm violent and I hate everyone. I'm on thin ice. One more misstep and I'll get kicked out. I've been in so many fights I lost count. People avoid me for good reason, Takani. It's not just because I'm worthless."

"You're in good company." She huffed. "I'm always angry too. I just can't act like it."

"I mean, being a princess must be incredibly stifling."

"I'm not a princess." Slivered eyes dared him to argue. He wanted to, just to hear her rant again. On school grounds she carried herself with ease, her responses were either cool or gentle. He'd seen her in action, dissuading arguments, preventing fights. She cajoled the public effortlessly and always with a kind grace about her. It made her seem…for lack of a better word unattainable as a person.

This was better.

"I guess you're right. Princesses don't smoke." He traced her expression and had the selfish satisfaction for a moment of believing he was privileged to see her so unraveled.

"Did you really think that I was bringing you here to solicit Shuichi through you?" She tipped her head to the side, loose hair shifting with the motion so that her bangs moved to fall over one of her eyes, she blew a line of smoke to the side to avoid getting it in his face. When he nodded she asked, "Then why did you come?"

"I don't know." He admitted quietly. "Curiosity, I guess."

"Curiosity is an attractive trait in a man. Keep it up and you might offset some of that anger." She teased him with a growing smile, one hand on the table so she could lean comfortably to the side.

Hiei placed his hand on the table too, also pressing his hip to the edge. He offered her a casual grin. "Are you flir-"

The melodic ring of her phone cut through his question, effectively forcing him to swallow his words. Upon checking the screen she muttered to herself and then held up a finger to him, turning around as she brought the device to her ear. "I'm fine."

There was a moment of silence as she listened. Then, "No, don't do that. I'm fine. I'll come home soon. I just got caught in the rain and decided to hide away until it stopped so I could get dry. Don't worry about it."

Hiei took her distraction as a sign to gather his things. It was only once he turned back to the shed that he noticed the rain had stopped. He struggled back into his damp socks and shoes, grabbing his shirt and then pulled his bag back onto his shoulder. She turned over her shoulder and opened her mouth to say something to him, but he just lifted a hand in a dismissive wave. Then he slipped around her to leave and didn't bother looking back. He'd gotten caught up in the moment. He'd forgotten something important.

Even if that greenhouse was some portal to a different world, out here they just weren't destined to know each other. Girls with lives like Amon-Shinpi didn't stoop down to befriend boys who lived on the streets like him.

This wasn't a fairy tale.

And he wasn't a fool.


	2. Mindless

It was the sort of work that only produced the result of being finished. There was no energy to it, no creativity or enrichment upon completion or through the duration. It was simply work.

Mindless, dull, work.

Day in, day out. Sit, listen, produce. Recite, rewrite, hand it in.

Classes had lost all meaning or luster for him by the time he'd finished his first year. All the challenge had faded quickly. He topped the lists of all the exams. No matter the course, the teacher, the book, nothing engaged him. He took his seat at the start of the day and ran through the motions until dismissed. Sure, he completed his assignments. This school wasn't cheap and he wouldn't waste the efforts of those who had helped him get there. He'd bring home his good grades and shine as a spot of pride for his mother and her husband. He'd be the example his step-brother looked up to. A goal.

Sometimes science or math woke him up for a few minutes. A new concept that piqued his interest. Often the feeling evaporated as quickly and suddenly as it came. English had it's moments of fun but only when he was allowed to stir Kaito up with a contradictory argument. He liked his time alone in the green house, thrilled by the custom made botany curriculum he'd convinced the school to allow him to create for himself. Those were his few reprieves by his second year.

Until one day, in gym-

"I bet I can beat your time."

Kurama to his friends, Shuichi to his peers, he rose from his daze to eye the redhead challenging him, her hip cocked to one side as a smug grin shaped her mouth. He didn't think they'd spoken up to that moment. She was still fairly new, a transfer student a month or two earlier, towards the start of their second year. Amon-Shinpi, one of the Takani twins, a set of sisters who had quickly become the center of a wave of gossip.

"Pardon?" He drawled.

"You average about a seven and a three quarter minute mile. I think I can best that." She explained lightly. "We should race and see if I'm right."

He stared at her as she regarded him, apparently oblivious to the gaggle of their whispering classmates who had gathered to eavesdrop, shooting them glances.

"What makes you think I want to race?" he asked with his patented false smile. It radiated warmth and patience.

It also wavered as Amon-Shinpi jutted her finger toward his face.

"Because you're just as bored as I am and neither of us have anything better to do."

The accusation, uttered so earnestly with such a friendly tone, hit home for him and he reeled back physically, eyes widened.

"Come on Minamino, I bet that I can make the next seven minutes at least a little more exciting for you." Her eyes sparkled as she goaded him, hands on her hips.

Kurama scanned over her again, from her ponytail and squared shoulders to her planted feet. Her smile lifted more on the left side. She stood around his height, which meant she had several inches over her peers. He squinted, then nodded.

"I'll race you." He agreed cautiously. "You look like you're looking forward to it and it would be rude to disappoint you."

"That's not the spirit I was hoping for but it's something." She began to swagger to the track, away from where the class remained in the center doing their stretches.

"Hichi! Be nice." A softer voice called with just a tinge of sharpness. Kurama glanced to the other sister, the one with golden eyes instead of sparkling blue. "You promised."

Kuya Takani stood with a small group of their classmates, previously buried in friendly conversation. She was always with people, Kurama had noticed. The opposite of her sister who tended to stand alone.

"It's just a friendly competition." Kurama assured the worried twin with a kind smile. She shot her sister a look that made him wonder if he was wrong. He turned to Amon-Shinpi. "Right?"

"I suppose that depends on how you react to the results." She beamed standing in place in one of the lanes. "Let's find out, shall we?"

Kurama sidled up to her with some humor growing in his stomach. A strange feeling after all the humdrum days he'd suffered through. Normally he only felt this way around his friends. He offered her a slightly more genuine smile as they readied themselves for their race.

"Kuya, time us." Amon-Shinpi called to her sister who hustled over with a stopwatch, still looking reserved about the whole event. "Give us the start when you're ready."

"Ready. Set. Go." Kuya called.

And they were off. Kurama hit his usual stride quickly, breathing controlled. She was right, he was consistent in his times. There was no reason to really push hims-

Amon-Shinpi passed him.

She _passed_ him.

And then she _smiled_. He caught the expression because he looked over in mild disbelief. With barely any effort he pushed himself to move just a little faster. Strides a little longer. Breathing still under control. He overtook her and kept the distance for a short while before she reclaimed the lead. By the time they neared the finish line he was close to heaving, out of breath as his legs burned with the strain of forcing himself forward at a much faster pace than he was used to taking. Even still her foot crossed before his by two seconds.

Two _lousy _seconds.

"Time?" Amon-Shinpi called, arms folded behind her head as she leaned back to inhale deeply. Sweat glistened on her face and arms, proof of her victorious exertion.

"Seven minutes and twenty-four seconds." Kuya announced and the class offered a few cheers of appreciation for the two runners.

"Look at that, we both beat your average." She turned to Kurama with a slick smile that revealed her teeth. "So, was I right?"

"About?" Kurama hedged with some frustration. "You being able to beat me?"

"About the race destroying some of your boredom for a few minutes." She corrected with a wink. "It did, right?"

"Yes." He allowed and then swallowed as his breathing finally leveled out. His entire body was hot from the energy he'd spent, sweat showing through his shirt for the first time in forever. "Congratulations on your victory. Next time I'm sure I'll be the winner."

"We'll see."

The warmth in his muscles spread to his chest and stomach, not like the burn in his lungs but something else. Not even like the humor he got during friendly competitions with Yusuke or Hiei or Kuwabara. Something new.

"I guess we will."


	3. Bait

Transferring to Meiou High School during second year had been a choice for Kuya. She could have stayed at her previous school with her "friends", where she had rapport built with the teachers and staff.

But then Hichi would have been all alone.

It was a choice for Kuya, it was not one for her sister. Well, not really anyway. Hichi had been given the choice of choosing an alternate high school in Japan or finding herself sent away to attend a boarding school elsewhere. So truly, there'd been only one thing to do. After some research and finagling, this is where they'd landed.

The campus itself was fine. Up to date, but not state of the art. Most of the teachers were kind, helpful and good at their jobs. Some of the students were that sort of saccharine sweet that leaked into personalities around someone of power whom you wanted to side yourself with. Only Kuya didn't have power. It was all her father's and mother's and she didn't particularly care for it anyway. The vast majority of her classmates were genuinely good people though and she enjoyed their company.

Especially _his_ company.

Kuya had dated a few times, nothing too serious. It normally happened because someone would ask her to go out with them and she had a hard time telling them no. After all, it took so much courage to admit feelings out loud. She'd say yes and they'd see each other a few times or over a few months and hold hands and maybe kiss and it would be nice. Inevitably the affections would fizzle out though and she'd have to end things in the kindest ways possible, because it wasn't their fault and they shouldn't think that it was. It was incredibly important to her that she left people feeling better about themselves and empowered to try again with someone more deserving of their care when she broke up with them.

She's never actually had a _crush_ on anyone. All her notions of the strength it took to confess came from movies, books, manga, and games. Poignantly romantic in her head, she hadn't realized how excruciatingly painful it could be to love someone who didn't reciprocate.

She knew now.

Her heart ached when they were together, but with a forlorn warmth that cursed her with the worst sort of impossible hope. When he spoke to her she got butterflies in her stomach and everything else became background noise. She adored the way he always spoke her name with a smile, going out of his way to be friendly to her even if he was busy. If she could ever have picked a boyfriend for herself, it would be him. The only boy in the whole city who mattered to her.

Kazuma Kuwabara.

And he was desperately in love with someone else. Her chest clenched every time she saw them together but she could console herself with the face that he was happy with someone who was kind and gentle. Yukina was beautiful too. Kuya wanted to be friends with her but she also couldn't seem to stop being awkward around the other girl. They were friendly to each other in class and they had gone out together with Keiko, but whenever they were alone her secret crush always made it hard to speak candidly. Her smile felt fake even though it wasn't. She hoped desperately she had never made anyone feel this way without realizing it.

Hichi was the only person who knew about her feelings and she protected them at all costs. Sure, she would tease her about them by making sly comments and how cool Kazuma's hair looked that day or joked that maybe they should ask if Kuya could be put in his gym class instead of her own. When Kuya lamented at night how painful it was, Hichi always listened. Though sometimes she offered advice too. Kuya considered this a fault in her sister's personality, bluntly speaking about ideas without waiting to learn if they were wanted. Her solutions were nearly always aggressive or sneaky too. Kuya suspected that it was to get a rise out of her, or to bring her out of a funk but she knew too that they were all at least a little honest. Her sister didn't lie unless there was no other choice. She might wield sarcasm and misdirection as swords, but she was hardly ever outright dishonest.

What was awful about it was that most of the time her ideas worked.

"You said he's struggling in math right? So tutor him. You're great at math." Hichi advised, laying on Kuya's bed while staring at the ceiling, still in street clothes after coming home from who-knew-where. They were still a few months away from completing their second year and Kuya was always hopeless enamored. "It'll give you more time with him without anyone else around."

"It would be rude to just offer." Kuya argued quietly, face burrowed in her pillow as dismay overtook her, red hair fanned over her back and shoulders as she lay next to her sister. "I don't want him to think I think he's dumb."

"He's gotta be at least a little dumb if he hangs out with Urameshi." Hichi snorted.

"That's not a nice thing to say." Kuya frowned, lifting her head up to shoot her sister a reproving look, then her face scrunched up. "Urameshi. Urameshi. Oh, that's Keiko's boyfriend, isn't it?"

"Yeah, the dropout." Hichi grinned at the ceiling. "He's great fun, y'know. I adore him. He's always down to do something stupid and I appreciate that quality in my friends."

"Is he why you've been coming home with bruised knuckles?" Kuya sat up completely to study her sister with annoyance. "Daddy is going to be upset if he finds out you're on the streets picking fights after what happened."

"I never pick fights, Kuya, they always pick me." Blue eyes glittered with mischief before Hichi threw herself up to sitting with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, offer to tutor him."

"No." Kuya shook her head, clutching her pillow to her chest. "It's too obvious."

It wasn't even a week later that Hichi walked over to the lunch table always occupied by Kazuma, Shuichi and Hiei. Kuya stared at her back with curiosity. She hadn't realized that her sister knew any of the boys personally. From the looks on their confused faces, she didn't, Kuya quickly deduced.

"Couldn't help but overhear that you're falling behind in math." Hichi gestured to Kazuma loosely. "If you ever need a tutor you should ask my sister. She's really good at it. She used to do it at our last school. Kuya has a skill for explaining things in a digestible way so you'd probably pick up the denser concepts faster with her than you would asking the teacher."

"Really?" He perked up, large hands wrinkling the failed test he'd just been complaining about. Then he looked around her to stare at Kuya with excitement shining in his eyes. It made her heart flutter. "Why didn't you tell me! When can we meet up?"

"Oh. Um." Kuya got up from their lunch table to walk over, "What's your schedule look like?"

And then it was done. Suddenly they had two nights a week in the library, alone. She got to sit next to him and talk about things other than school and it was wonderful. It was a false thing, sure, but it still helped. And he started to see a difference in his grades not long after. The first time he managed to get a B he hugged her in thanks, radiating happiness with his wide, glowing smile. She'd almost died on the spot.

"Proximity breeds fondness." Hichi explained to her as they started their third year, arriving to campus in their car chauffeured by Hayato, who glanced at them through the rear view mirror.

Kuya has sort of hated that during the summer she hadn't found any excuses to meet up with her crush. There was just no casual way to go about it. And she had to be casual. She didn't want anyone thinking she was trying to break him and Yukina up. The scandal that would be!

"What does that mean?" Kuya asked quietly.

"It means," her sister waved a hand through the air carelessly, "that the more time you spend around someone the more likely it is that they'll grow attached to you."

"Stop meddling and let her handle her life." Hayato called from the front seat, attention now solely on Hichi who stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides what would you know about dating? You're not exactly the paragon of good relationships."

"I don't need to take flack from a twenty-five year old virgin." She shot him a dirty look. "I'm not wrong anyway."

His attention turned to Kuya as they pulled to the curb outside the school gates. "You don't have to listen to her, Kuya. In fact you probably shouldn't with her track record."

"Okay, that's actually fair." Hichi laughed. "But you're still an ass for saying it."

"Don't run off after school today. You have an appointment." He cut his attention back to the rowdier twin, but Kuya faded out of the conversation in thought.

Even if it didn't work to make him like her more, spending more time with Kazuma sounded nice. And it was her last year of school. She wanted this. In fact, it was all she cared about suddenly. All she needed was the perfect setup to bait him into more consistent interactions without being obvious. What would Hichi do to get close to someone she wanted to spend time while making it seem like the task was goal-oriented around herself?

"I'm going to run for president." Kuya announced to Kazuma spontaneously, walking up to him in the hall. She bowed quickly. "As an active member of student council, please help me!"

"You don't have to be so formal, Kuya. Of course I'll help!" He put a hand on her shoulder when she rose, causing a blush to break out over her cheeks as he grinned. "I think you'll be a great president! We'll get with Keiko too! She's awesome at this campaigning stuff."

"Th-thank you." She trembled caught between happiness and relief.

"No problem! It'll be fun to get to spend more time with you." He beamed.

Her heart grew so light she almost fainted.


	4. Freeze

"There's a cold front warning for tonight." Kurama mentioned casually to the group as they roved about after school, headed to the arcade to waste time.

Hiei glared ahead of them as Yusuke and Kuwabara turned to look at him while Kurama continued to read from an assigned book while they walked. He didn't need this. He didn't want it. Their pity or their not-so-casual comments. It wasn't any of their business. And if they weren't careful he was going to fight each one of them because they were being too obvious. If anyone of these idiots slipped up and said something in front of Yukina he'd never speak to them again.

"It might freeze." The redhead continued in the same tone.

No one else spoke, especially not Hiei. He knew what Kurama wanted and he wasn't going to do it. He wasn't going to ask for their help.

"Better close your window then." Hiei snapped after a few silent seconds. "Wouldn't want you catching a cold."

Kurama sighed and lowered the book slightly to look over at him. "Must you be so stubborn?"

"Hiei!" The tinkling voice of Yukina trapped Hiei's scathing reply in his throat. He turned just in time for his sister to wind her arms around his neck in a warm hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you at all lately! You look like you've lost weight. Is the foster home feeding you well enough?"

A thread of tension ran through the boys but Hiei was the one who responded before peeling her arms off his neck gently. "They feed me plenty. I've just been running more."

Her lips pursed but then she nodded.

"If you ever need anything more, you know you can ask me. I'd do anything to make sure you're safe and well taken care of." She promised and it made him smile. He reached over and patted her head.

"That's not your job." He dissuaded warmly.

Keiko, Shizuru and Botan caught up with them shortly after, all dressed up and ready to be seen in public. He felt oddly out of place as the only one still in his school uniform, but he only had three outfits and he hadn't wanted to change into either of the others because then Yukina would have seen that his clothes were filthy and she'd have asked more questions he didn't want her asking. Protecting her was about the only thing he was actually good at. The less she knew about his ordeals the happier she would be and that's all he really wanted.

The arcade proved a short lived experience as the girls quickly lost interest in listening to Yusuke curse his losses. Keiko pulled him out by his ear when a small child mimicked his colorful language, her tongue lashing him the entire way out. It made the rest of them laugh. Kuwabara stuck near Yukina's side as usual, offering to pay for her games and show her how to use some of the machines. Kurama bested someone's top score before they followed Yusuke and Keiko's lead, moseying to a cafe to get out of the chill.

Hiei pretended to not feel the cold, but he could definitely feel Kurama's probing stare.

"Stop it." He hissed quietly.

"You stop it." Kurama hissed back. "Hiei, if I ask you'll just say no."

"That's because I don't want to." The acidic reply earned an audibly frustrated huff.

The cafe offered warmth and the smells of food and Hiei swallowed as he looked over the pastries. There wasn't enough change in his pocket to buy coffee much less something to eat.

"I got this for you." Yukina handed him a warmed croissant and a hot chocolate with a loving smile. "I got the same thing! Just like mom used to buy us."

"You shouldn't waste your allowance on buying me frivolous things." He accepted her offerings none the less. "Save your money up to buy yourself something nice."

"Seeing you happy is something nice." She countered and he noticed their familial edge in her voice. A warning that she wasn't above taking a sharper tone with him.

"Thank you." He glanced away and tore into the croissant, trying to not let anyone see how hungry he actually was. It took effort not to devour the whole thing in a few seconds. The hot chocolate felt good on his stomach for the warmth but the sugar hit him a little harder than normal with nothing else to absorb it. Still, he held onto the cup and savored every last sip.

"Oh that's right! I almost forgot." Yukina delved into her bag fishing out a bundle of cloth. "I made these just for you! One of the aunts showed me how to knit. Do you like them? I figured since it's getting colder you might need a new scarf."

Hiei accepted the gifts silently, relishing the soft yarn of the beanie and the scarf his sister had made just for him. Both in black.

"I was going to do white, but it gets dirty so easily." She explained. "Try them on!"

He pulled the beanie over his hair and she came over to adjust it with a radiant smile. Then she drop the scarf around his neck loosely.

"You look handsome! I do good work." She teased.

"They're soft." He complimented. "And thick. Thank you. I like them."

"I'm glad." She pointed a finger at his nose, squinting slightly. "Hopefully they'll keep you warm."

"They will." He assured her quickly. They'd already warmed him. Yukina was too kind and thoughtful, he didn't know where she'd gotten those traits from because their family definitely wasn't like that at all.

"I heard it might snow tonight. We're getting a cold front, you know. Do you think the foster home would allow you to stay with Kurama since he's closer to campus? That way you won't have to walk so far in the cold." Yukina's suggested sent a rod down his spine. Without meaning to show it, he glared at Kurama in accusation.

"I think that's a good idea actually. I hadn't thought of it." Kurama entered the conversation with warmth. "Thank you for always looking out for Hiei, Yukina."

"I'll call and ask." Hiei relented though it pained him to do so. "Who knows what they'll say."

"If they say no, put me on the phone. I'll convince them." She put her hands on her hips. "Your safety should come first to these people."

"Right." He looked away, defeated. "Well, I guess I should go check. I'll be back in a minute."

He didn't check. There was no one to call to ask. Instead he stood outside caressing his new scarf and testing the strength of the beanie against the wind. She'd even lined it for him, with fleece none the less. His ears were toasty and protected. When he came back inside he announced he'd been given permission and refused to look at Kurama until it was time for everyone to scatter. He couldn't stand the smug satisfaction on the redhead's face.


	5. Built

Yusuke liked to consider his first encounter with Shinpi their unofficial introduction to one another. It lacked the true punch of a real getting to know each other moment. That came later. The first time he made contact was while waiting to conduct his monthly parole check in with his officer, Botan. He lounged with his shoulders against the beige wall, trapped in the ugly brown carpeted room with no music playing overhead to at least make it falsely comfortable. Amon-Shinpi was there too, sitting in a chair away from him. He recognized her hair which is the only reason he opened his mouth to talk to her.

"You're that new girl whose friends with my girlfriend, neh?" He asked bluntly, sizing her up with a bandage over the bridge of his nose and a cigarette tucked behind his ear. Despite her wearing black jeans, she still seemed dressed up to him. Maybe it was the long sleeve blouse. Hands in his pockets he rocked back on his heels. He'd seen her around a time or two. There weren't that many tall redheaded women wandering around.

What was she doing waiting to see Botan? An interview?

She cut her eyes to him, gaze sweeping him head to foot then back up as she assessed his plain white tee and his blue jeans. Her nose wrinkled a bit, eyebrow raising into a fiery arch. Her drawl came out neutral. "I think you're mistaking me for someone else."

"Don't think I am." He pressed. "Pretty sure that's you. She's mentioned you a few times."

That made her snort. She looked away from him, eyes pinching and brows coming down toward her nose. Her teeth found her lip as she worked something out in her head. Then she sighed and turned back to him with guarded boredom.

"Look dude, I don't mess with taken girls but if she's calling my name I don't know what to tell you. Sorry, I guess?" She uncrossed her legs to place both soles flat on the floor, posture shifting as though she were preparing to move.

"Excuse me?" Yusuke paused on his heels, eyes narrowed and teeth showing. "What the fuck did you just say about Keiko?"

"Keiko?" She blinked.

"Yeah, Keiko. Listen. I don't know who you think you are but I'm going to kick you ass if you ever-" his voice started to raise into a yell, fist coming out of his pocket in a display of intent.

"Listen idiot, I don't know anyone named Keiko and if you even try to finish that threat I'm going to punch you through a wall." She remained in her seat, her tone even, expression flat. "You're seriously mistaking me for someone else."

"No way, bitch. Tall, red hair, named Kuya, that's you." He pointed with a snarl. "Get up. I'm going to hit you."

"That's my sister you dumb bastard." She rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. "Sit the fuck down, you're embarrassing yourself."

"Sister?" He stared at her.

"Yeah, my twin. She's got all sorts of friends. She's a great, beautiful person. People love her. I'm Amon-Shinpi. The other one."

"So you don't know Keiko?" he squinted in suspicion.

"I already told you that I didn't." She deadpanned.

"Can you two keep it down?" Botan's office door swung open and the blue-haired woman stood before them with her hands on her hips. Her fitted red biker-style leather jacket made the badge on her chest look rather official. "Yusuke, you're late again. You were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"I was busy." He defended with a smirk.

"Doing what, you don't have a job." She snapped back at him. "The ramen cart doesn't count if you don't actually keep it open, you know."

"I sold out." He griped. "Sue me for being good at what I do."

"Are you keeping out of trouble?"

"Duh. I don't want to go through this shit again, Botan." One hand ran over his slicked back hair. "I've been good. Keiko told me if I messed up again she'd dump me anyway, so."

"If only you respected the law as much as you respect your girlfriend." Botan pursed her lips. Then she waved her hand to shoo him away. "Get out of here. Amon-Shinpi, come on."

"Yes ma'am." She rose and followed Botan, pausing just outside the office doorway. "Yusuke was it? Maybe next time you talk about Keiko to someone you don't know, you use her name instead of just calling her your girlfriend. You know, since she is a person. It could probably save you some trouble."

"Botan get her in there before I kick her ass." He snapped.

The next time they met is what he counted as the real thing. He'd always had the feeling that you didn't really know someone until one of you got punched in the face. By this point he'd learned more about Kuya's annoying twin through Keiko. The Takani kids were from some sort of political family with money. Shocker based on the way they always dressed. They'd transfered to Keiko's school after the start of second year but they'd never said why.

Not that he particularly cared to learn.

He'd been wandering around the streets looking for Hiei and trouble. Ever since the little bastard had been kicked out of his foster home he'd been finding oddball places to sleep. Yusuke pretended it was fine but honestly he was worried about his friend. For a while Hiei would take shelter as Kurama's but apparently he'd stopped going over unless forced. None of them knew where he was staying or if he was safe. They only knew that he was grumpy, tired, and losing weight.

Commotion to his left earned Yusuke's attention as the familiar sound of feet shuffling and a groan screamed there was a fight and he wasn't apart of it. Yet. Grinning, hands in his pockets he stepped into the alley to see four slightly older boys surrounding a lone figure, face shadowed by the bill of the cap they wore. They were all taking swings and lashing out, but their opponent evaded most of their sloppy attacks. The telltale grunt of air being forced from lungs sounded before one of the boys doubled over, arms wrapped around his middle. Another moved to grab the attackee's arm from behind only to find himself roundhouse kicked, falling back against a nearby trashcan spilling the contents in a heap. The third lunged forward, a rookie mistake, as a quick jab to the windpipe earned a shocked sputter followed by the throaty noises of someone trying not to choke. He found himself laid out quickly after a kick to his chest sprawling him backward.

Yusuke watched, fascinated and decided maybe he wouldn't jump in. He wanted to see how long it would take this lone thug to eviscerate his enemies. Excited he continued with his wide teeth-baring grin, rocking back on his heels as he enjoyed the show.

Feet spread apart, hands raised in anticipation the center of attention waited for the fourth guy to attack. Yusuke thought that was interesting because he'd have just made his own move. He didn't like other people calling the shots. The last man standing paced a little. Then he flashed his teeth in and surged forward. This one had more sense it seemed, and more skill. He was able to evade the counters the solo fighter performed and he managed to land a solid hit against their face. It made them stagger just one step and then turn their head back to him slowly.

Yusuke watched as the trash-can guy rolled over before climbing to his feet stiffly. He shook out his head, looked down and nabbed a brown bottle from the refuse he'd strewn about. Reentering the fray he swung the newfound weapon from behind, but not before kicking another heavy piece of litter out of his way. It was enough of a warning that the person between them was able to duck under their attack. But it did put them on the defensive. Swooping under and around swings directed at their face, twisting to avoid body strikes. They moved lithely and with purpose.

Lowering his chin as excitement flooded through him, Yusuke realized that this fight could have ended at any time. Whoever this guy was, he was skilled and practiced. He was just toying with the group of thugs. That made up his mind about the matter. He'd been sort of content just watching but now he desperately wanted to measure himself against this new face. He'd never seen that style before so he knew that he'd never thrown hands with them. It wasn't often someone like this escaped his notice, inevitably if there was a good brawler around he heard about it and found them.

He had a reputation to keep after all.

Both men continued their assault with little to show for the effort. Their target deflected another strike from the bottle, batting the hand away from them before taking hold of the boy's wrist and spinning them both until his arm was at the worst angle. His fingers loosened involuntarily, and the bottle fell to the ground. A glint of light earned the immediate attention of the fighter, who kicked their captive forward to imbalance the fourth guy brandishing his knife. He cast his ally to the side without care, stepping over him. The blade cut through the air dangerously close.

Yusuke stepped forward, grin gone as he assessed the inherent danger of the situation. He was already on his way to put an end to this when the guy in the snap-back caught the wrist of the arm wielding the knife, stopping the weapon from impaling their stomach. Yanking the arm forward they forced their attacker to stumble, his body listing toward them. Their other hand grabbed his shirt, pulling him down and their head slammed against his face. Blood instantly drained from his nose as he cried out. The hand fisted in his shirt released him only to come up and land a strike under his chin with the heel of their palm. A punch to the sternum reeled him back. He dropped the knife.

They picked it up.

As the pained groans of their comrades sounded their awakening, the fourth and second guy scurried to help their boys to their feet before they rushed toward the front of the alleyway. Several curses were thrown back over their shoulders. Yusuke paused to watch them flee, then noticed the guy in the hat hadn't turned around. He was still looking at the knife in his hand. It must have been awfully important to study the thing, because his attention was so stuck on it that Yusuke's approach obviously startled him.

He grabbed the guys shoulder, intent on congratulating them and asking if they wanted a bout against him next, but this proved a mistake on his part. The knife fell to the ground immediately, two hands took his wrist and forearm, they hinged forward as the waist and flipped him over their shoulder. His back hit the ground and the sound he uttered was more shock that pain. A fist dropped against his cheek without pause and then a booted foot landed on his chest, pinning him down.

Red hair spilled free, the hat gone in the scuffle. Blue eyes glared down at him then for a moment they just stared at each other in surprise, each other eyes wide, brows raised.

"It's you." They accused in tandem. Her eyes narrowed. His grin came back.

"Were these your thugs?" Amon-Shinpi demanded of him, lips pulled into a sneer.

"No. I don't have thugs. I do all the ass-kicking myself whenever I can." Yusuke offered the best shrug he could given his position. "Man, you really beat the shit out of them."

"Them? You're on the ground too Urameshi." The reminder came with a dull tone.

"Yeah, that's my bad. I thought you heard me coming." He continued to grin at her, the expression growing a little devilish. "You want to let me up so we can do this for real? I promise I'm not that easy to beat."

"I'm all done for the evening, actually. But if you take a swing at me I _will_ end you, so you watch yourself." She stepped back, removing herself from his space. When he got to his feet, eyes scanning the ground he noticed the knife was gone.

"Thanks for helping by the way." Amon-Shinpi glared at him. "You're a real gentlemen. Your girlfriend must brag about you."

He caught her sarcasm but didn't rise to the bait. Instead he wrinkled his nose and shrugged. "Yeah, well, you had it under control. I almost jumped in when I saw the knife but you beat me to the punch."

"Terrible joke. One star." Her hands found her hips and she assessed him. "Is this what you do? Stalk alleys watching girls get beat up?"

"He landed like one hit on you." Yusuke reminded. "Also from back there you looked like a dude so relax. Anyway, no. I was looking for someone. This just happened to grab my attention. You really did a number here. I'm impressed."

"They started it." She defended quietly, frowning. Her eyes swept the alleyway and then she plucked her hat from the grime to replace it on her head. "Sorry for hitting you."

"I had it coming." He shrugged again. He offered her a beaming smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Seriously though, if you ever want to brawl let me know. I feel like we'd be an even match."

Blue eyes scanned him, lips pursed. Whatever she saw eased the expression but she didn't respond to him. Instead she looked away. Her hands found homes in her hoodie pockets and she sunk into her shoulders.

"It's sort of surprising though. You're not really built like the street fighters I know. You're all dainty and stuff."

That earned a laugh from her, radiating from her belly before she tossed him a smug grin. Then she unzipped her hoodie, pulling the garment off to reveal her arms in her tank top. Yusuke balked for a second before whistling, impressed. Her arms were plenty well defined, thick with muscle. She pulled the garment back on, pulling the zipper up once more.

"There's a reason I tend to wear long sleeves." She explained to him. "A lot of people, especially guys, seem to have weird feelings about strong women. Don't want to scare off the boys."

"I know a few who'd probably cream themselves to get with a girl who looks like you." He followed as she began walking. "If you're ever in the mood to meet someone I'll hook you up." 

"I can't date." She spoke immediately then blushed, pulling her cap down to shroud her face in shadow in an effort to hide her reaction.

"Can't?" He pried.

"Yeah, I had a boyfriend but it ended badly so now I'm not allowed to date until I graduate." She explained quietly. "If you tell anyone that I'll kick your ass. I don't like to advertise it."

"Jesus, how bad could the break up have been? What did you do, kill the guy?" Yusuke laughed, slapping a hand down on her far shoulder. He used the grip to pull her close so he could lower his voice when she didn't immediately tell him no. "Come on, you can tell me. You did right? You killed the guy?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed him away, but she was smiling. "You're such an idiot. How did someone as smart and pretty as Keiko get strapped with a loser like you?"

"We've been friends since we were little. I guess we just grew on each other." He grinned. "She's stuck with me now though."

"Shame. Maybe she'll come to her senses and I'll get my shot." She looked away, chin tilted up so he could see that she was giving him glib side-eye as he sputtered.

"Fuck you!"

"It's your fault, Urameshi. I didn't even really pay attention to her until you made such a fuss. Now she's in my sights." Her tone turned sing-songy. "I'm gonna steal your girl."

"I'm not afraid to hit you, Takani!" His voice rose as he brandished his fist. "Fight me!"

"You know, all that aggression in your response makes me think you believe me. That means I have a shot."

"Fuck you!"

"You said that already."

"And I still mean it! You dumb bastard, don't you dare touch Keiko!"

She laughed and it was a sound from her stomach, warmth coloring it. She shoulder checked him. "Alright, alright. You've stayed my hand. For now. Better keep on your best behavior though. I might change my mind later."

He snorted at that and then rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. Sure. What were you doing in an alley getting pummeled anyway? You live near here?"

"No, I was just going to the arcade when one those idiots hassled me so I dropped him. Apparently they didn't like that very much. Oh well." Her response made him chuckle.

"You're growing on me, Takani. I love a dumbass who likes to fight. We should hangout sometime. Give me your phone, I'll give you my info." He held his hand out for her phone. He waited a moment, hand extended, before wiggling his fingers and raising his eyebrows. Slowly she acquiesced, placing the device on his open palm. He plugged in his information and handed it back. "I texted myself from your number so I have it. I'll hit you up, 'kay?"

"Okay." She gripped her phone firmly then shoved it into her pocket, a small smile unwavering. "Thanks."

He rubbed the top of her hat with a grin, having to reach up to do so. Damn this girl was tall. What the hell? "Yeah yeah, just make sure you answer. I don't want to look like an idiot."

"You got it."


	6. Husky

Keiko, Yukina and Kuya soaked in the spring air outside a cafe shortly after the start of the school year. Kuya in her third while the other two girls had just begun their second. Each of them had dressed up for the occasion in their best post-school outfits, sipping on their teas with smiles as they discussed how the beginning of the term was going for each of them as they gathered around the small round, blush pink painted metal grate table. Their drinks and small snack plates rested on the glass surface.

"I'm so glad the weather is clearing up." Yukina spoke softly. "I thought winter might never end. It's nice to not need a coat anymore."

"Definitely." Kuya nodded. "I was getting so tired of having to wear two pairs of socks when I left the house."

"Tell me about it. I was doing laundry practically every other day." Keiko lamented. "So, how are your tutoring sessions going Kuya? Is Kazuma still showing progress?"

"Oh! Yes." A blush broke out over the redhead's cheeks as she stammered through her response. "He's actually very bright. He just lacks confidence I think. Once you sit down and allow him the time to digest he gets even the toughest concepts. I'm really happy I get to help him."

Keiko hid her smile behind her teacup and glanced to Yukina who looked over to Kuya with a warm expression.

Kuya caught the attention on her and blushed deeper, forcing out a grin. "You're really lucky, Yukina. Kazuma is a good man."

"Lucky?" Yukina blinked, head tilting to the side. Then she seemed to think about it for a moment. "He is a good man, definitely. He's always quite chivalrous. I guess it's lucky I know him."

"I'm going to get a pastry, would you two like anything?" Kuya stood abruptly, still pushing a kind smile despite her personal discomfort. "I'll buy."

The two other girls put up their hands and denied her offer. They waited for her to enter the cafe before turning to each other.

"I don't think that's what she means." Keiko whispered conspiratorially, a sly smile pulling at lips. "I think she thinks you two are dating."

"Another one?" Yukina sighed quietly, perplexed. Keiko's answering nod earned a baffled look. "Why does everyone think that about us?"

"Probably because he's been in love with you forever." The brunette teased. "You're all he talks about. Why aren't the two of you together?"

"I'm just not interested. And he's Hiei's friend, it would be awkward. I don't know. Kazuma is a kind man, definitely, but I just don't see us being together. I wish he had someone else to direct these feelings towards. He's a wonderful friend, but it gets awkward at times."

"It might help if you actually reject him." Keiko offered, her lips pulling down to the side as she studied her teacup. "I know it's hard but it might be best for both of you. I'm sure he'll still be your friend. He's not going to just abandon you for denying him."

"I don't want to hurt him." Yukina looked at her own cup with a frown. "It's so difficult to think about doing."

"Still-"

"I know you said no, but I thought I'd treat you both anyway." Kuya interrupted their quiet conversation by returning to the table with a plate of pastries. "I wanted to try a few things anyway and thought it might be best to share them between us so we could experience them."

"Oh, thank you!" Yukina beamed.

"Ew, is that Takani?" A snide voice obnoxiously asked from a short distance away.

Keiko and Yukina watched as Kuya's back straightened. She carefully lowered the dish to the tabletop, head bowing down so that her bangs shadowed her face from the light of the warm, spring sun. Her hands rested beside the plate. She pointedly remained silent.

"Oh my god, it is. I heard she'd gone to prison." Another girl's words grated through the air.

Keiko's eyes narrowed, brows coming down in a glare that accompanied her stern frown. One glance at Kuya's face revealed the taller girl was biting her lip. Her hands gripped the table so desperately her knuckles turned white with strain. Still, she didn't raise her head or move.

"What did you do, sleep your way out of jail?" The taunt came as the girls stalked closer wearing a different school's uniform.

Yukina shot them a dirty look. Keiko recognized the emblem and colors as an elite high school on the other side of the city. It was nearly impossible to get into it without connections, so difficult she hadn't even bothered applying despite the excellent programs they ran. Graduating from that school promised amazing benefits. You were guaranteed entry into any university you desired, could start any job you wanted with the highest references.

How they'd let scum like that in was beyond her.

Money worked miracles it seemed.

Kuya's grip on the table relented, her shoulders relaxed as she turned around. Gold eyes shone in the light, glowing embers of a recently kindled fire. Standing up straight she assessed the teenagers, scanning her gaze over them head to toe. They stopped in their tracks, eyes widening and mouths falling open. They tripped over themselves as they uttered apologies.

"Oh god, Kuya it's you."

"We didn't know."

"We're so sorry."

"How are you?"

"He deserved it. In fact he should have faced worse." Kuya's words came out cold and even. She stared the two girls down without fear. "And my sister deserved better."

"We were just joking, obviously. It's such a shame what happened. A total dick move by the school." The first girl explained, waving her hand through the air.

"You weren't." Kuya assured her. "You were doing what everyone at that wretched school did. You were trying to beat on a weakened target. My sister is not a criminal."

"You need to lighten up. We said it was a joke." The second girl sneered.

"You need to understand who you're speaking to. I am not like my sister. I am not going to let your words roll off my back to save our family name. Hichi might be able to stomach your abuse but I cannot." Kuya's tone wavered as she tried to control her anger, her body starting to shake. "None of you were there when it happened. None of you know the truth so do not dare stroll around pretending to be experts."

"Kuya, come on. We all know what happened. I mean, it's not a secret." The first girl started. Then her expression turned cruel, glinting. "Your sister is a slut, there's nothing you can do to change that."

Kuya stared at her.

"And you're not going to do anything. You never do. That's why she always got in trouble defending you. You're weak and she's a bitch." She continued.

Keiko stood up, her mouth opening to throw out a string of defenses for her friend. Yukina too had gotten to her feet. The table jostled with their sudden movements, spilling tea over the surface. The girls laughed, looking at them. The first went to say something else and Kuya let out an even breath. Then her fist slammed into the girl's face so hard it bent her wrist. The hit spun her into her friend, blood already beginning to drip from her busted lip.

Kuya ignored the pain in her hand and wrist in favor of plastering on her usual mask: a loving smile that touched her eyes.

"You should get to a doctor. That looks awful. It's going to need attention." Kuya offered, her tone turned husky as she desperately tried to bite back on her ravenous anger. "Oh dear." Her attention shifted to the other girl. "You should take her. It would be a shame if something happened to either of you."

They hustled away and Kuya remained standing for a minute until they were out of sight. Then she trembled, her eyes watering. Tucking her chin down she sniffled and squeezed her eyes closed. She brought her hand up to her chest, cradling it carefully as pain radiated through it.

"I don't know how she can stand the pain." Kuya cried, shoulders beginning to move in sobs. "I don't understand it at all. It hurts."

"Your hand is swelling!" Yukina rushed to her side. "We should get you to a clinic."

"I'm not worried about my hand." Kuya choked, looking into crimson irises with waterlogged eyes as her tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I just don't understand how Hichi can stand it when people say such terrible things to her. She never reacts. She'd never have hit that girl."

"Well, it's a good thing it was you here then." Keiko mopped up their spilled tea with some napkins, tone hot. "Because someone needed to slug her."

"Your hand." Yukina fretted, taking the appendage gently. "I think you broke it."

"Too bad you didn't break her jaw." Keiko snorted, glaring the way the two girls had fled.

"Keiko." Yukina admonished harshly. "We need to get her to a doctor."

"My dad is going to kill me." Kuya winced. "Or worse, he's going to lecture me."

"Will one of you two please show some concern for the fact this is definitely broken?" Yukina snapped at both of them. "I'm going to get you ice, Kuya. Stay here."

"Grab a box for our pastries too please." She called after her. Then she turned to Keiko with sadness lacing her expression. "Please don't tell anyone what they said."

"I would never." Keiko assured her, nodding solemnly.

"My sister is a really a sweet person. She just, sometimes she suffers from her emotions. What happened…"

"It's fine. I get it." Keiko lowered her voice. "I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you." Kuya let out a shaky breath.

Yukina returned with a bag of ice and frowned as she forced it onto Kuya's hand, demanding she hold it place until they could get to a clinic. The three of them left together. It wasn't until they were on their way that Yukina finally spoke again.

"You can't bend your wrist. You have to keep it straight or this sort of thing will happen." She chastised the redhead. "Come on, Kuya. That's just basic punching knowledge. Never tuck your thumb, wrist straight, aim behind your target for maximum effect."

Kuya offered her a wild-eyed look, no words coming to respond. Keiko laughed at her expression and at how callous Yukina sounded, the crimson eyed girl's arms crossed over her chest as she glowered ahead of them.

"What did you expect?" The brunette asked of the redhead with a chuckle. "She is Hiei's sister after all."


	7. Enchanted

"It'll be fun." Yusuke claimed, leading Kurama away from the shopping district toward the club laden downtown. "It's a new place that's lax on carding. Trust me, you'll like it."

"I don't want to drink." Kurama protested mildly knowing he was going to follow Yusuke anyway if for no other reason than to be sure his friend survived the night. This was not how he'd wanted to spend his Saturday.

"You'll find something to do." He promised, looking back at the redhead with a toothy grin. "Maybe you'll meet someone for once."

"I'm not interest in that either." Kurama's expression flattened. If this was another ploy to try to get him to date so Yusuke could have another couple to go out with he was going to punch him. Hard. Right in the chest. Repeatedly.

The club's neon sign, bright green, glowed it's name against the side of the grubby brick building. _Enchanted_. There was the neon outline of red apple next to the word, a bite missing. Kurama was pleasantly surprised by the dedication to the theme once they were inside. It looked like a forest with the ceiling latticed with vines and faux branches. Fake trees lined the walls with their leaves touching the tendrils of green above. A thin film of fog from a machine coated the floor, swirling around the feet of the patrons. The bartenders were dressed as characters from western fairytales: A woodsmen whose plaid shirt was unbuttoned revealing his defined chest and a princess in a corset that pushed up her bosom and a skirt that revealed her thighs with lips painted ruby red.

"You should try their drinks." Yusuke exclaimed once they'd attained their stamps to enter. "They have one called the poison apple that is delicious. You can't even taste the booze in it."

"No thank you." Kurama narrowed his eyes. "How long will we be here?"

"Long enough." Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Sit in a booth if you want to be lame."

"I will." Kurama moved toward the booths lining the far wall, having to cross the packed dance floor to get there. Several people bumped into him, furthering his annoyance with the whole situation. Once seated he pulled off his backpack and set up for doing homework.

The tables were all decorated with bowls of apples, both red and green, and LED candles that flickered like real fire. The dim light made it difficult to read his assignments but he was determined to study through Yusuke's shenanigans. He didn't know how long he'd been there, deciphering his English homework when a bottle of water already drenched with condensation was set atop the veneered table.

He gratefully reached for it, looking up to ask Yusuke if they were done here when he stopped in his tracks. Yusuke's eyes weren't the ones boring into his.

"I didn't take you for the clubbing type." Amon-Shinpi's voice told him smoothly before she slid across from him. With humor she regarded his spread of assignments. "I can't believe you waited until the day before it was due to do your homework. You're such a slacker."

"Takani?" He asked, despite knowing the answer.

"One of them, at least." She winked, settling into her side of the booth. She had her own bottle of water uncapped and brought it to her lips, taking a healthy gulp of the contents. "I like your shirt."

He looked down at his button-up, a simple thing of emerald green with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It paired decently with his jeans and his sneakers. It wasn't overly impressive in his opinion. Still, at her compliment the warmth he'd come to associate with her proximity in class washed over him.

"It matches your eyes." She explained with a smile.

"Thank you." He blinked at her, surprised. "Why are you here?"

She nodded to the dance floor. He opened his mouth in a small 'o'.

"The drinks aren't bad either. I had this one earlier that tasted like summer in a forest. It was amazing. I don't even know how they did that."

His response was a dull look, then he looked back down at his scattered papers. Before he could ask her to leave she reached over and took the assignment he'd been working on, her eyes scanning over the words. Without asking she stole his pencil from his hand and erased something to rewrite it. Then she moved further down the questions, filling in responses before sliding it back to him.

"I lived in America for a little while when I was younger." She explained to him. "I'm fluent in English. Don't tell the teacher though or they'll transfer me to another class."

"I can do my own work." He frowned at her.

"But it's more fun to do things with others sometimes, isn't it?" Her head tipped to the side, spilling fiery strands over her shoulder. He hadn't seen her hair down like this before.

With a start Kurama realized he'd actually never seen Amon-Shinpi outside of their school. Kuya he'd run into a few times because of Yusuke and Keiko. It made him wonder what she did after class. Was she a homebody like him most of the time? Fleeing the confines of their school for the comfort of their living space? Or was it that she hung out in places like this where he hardly visited? Allowing himself the excuse to look her over he studied her outfit. He'd never seen her in anything but their school wear so her practically sheer light colored blouse was particularly fascinating to him.

Did she know that anyone could see the outline of her dark bra? Should he tell her? Or was it intentional?

"You should dance with me."

Her declaration earned his surprise, cutting through his thoughts.

"Why?" He demanded.

"Why not?" She countered. "Come on, Minamino. Live a little. You're in a club full of people who would kill to be within three feet of you."

"I don't date." He answered immediately unimpressed with her antics.

"That's fine by me." She leaned forward over the table between them. "It's just a dance."

"Just a dance turns into a 'just call me once' which turns into 'just one date'." Kurama glared at her. "No."

"Let me clarify, darling. I don't want to date you." She told him without faltering in her smile. "I just want to dance with someone who doesn't want to fuck me in the bathroom."

Her brutal honesty and quite frankly uncouth declaration made him pull back in his seat.

"These girls, and the ones at school, they may drown in their drool when they look at you but I don't. I'm not interested in chasing stiff pretty boys who want nothing to do with me. It's not my jam. You're cute and all, but we obviously don't feel attracted to one another." She continued carelessly gesturing between them.

Kurama studied her for a moment. She had, so far to date, not shown any interest in him romantically speaking. Their relationship was entirely based on their mutually competitive nature. As far as he knew she wasn't particularly invested in the attention of their peers. This lent credibility to her response but still. He didn't want to dance. So he told her as much.

"Suit yourself. Try not to die of old age when you're still so young." She pushed the water bottle she'd given him toward his hand. "And drink water. It's hot in here."

She got to her feet and left him there. Kurama started in on his work, but found himself stopping frequently to look to the dance floor. This wasn't his scene. He didn't know how to dance out there so even if he'd accepted her offer he'd only embarrass them both. He went back to work. Then he lifted his head and once again studied the writhing bodies slammed together, sweating in tandem. Hands on each other's skin.

Amon-Shinpi was there alone, twisting and twirling with her hands above her head and a wide grin lighting her features. From here he could see her low-sitting jeans and how they revealed the plane of her stomach as her top stopped a few inches under her bosom. He couldn't help but see her. Just like he couldn't help but notice the several pairs of eyes glued to her. Salacious expressions tracing her movements. A pack of hungry dogs seeing a meaty bone dangling for their taking. Shoving his homework into his bag he left it at the booth with his water bottle.

Her skin shone in the semi-darkness, her sweat a shimmer as she moved. Her hair was longer than his and it hung free down her back. Someone's hands found her waist and she pulled away from them, dancing off to distance herself from the greedy, perverted touch of strangers. Kurama watched her. He cut through the thicket of people, arriving as a man who had no business looking at a girl her age made himself at home in her personal bubble. He reached for her but Kurama beat him to it, his long fingers finding her wrist and pulling her to him. The man offered a bark of protest but green eyes narrowed at him, no patience painted on Kurama's face.

"My hero." Amon-Shinpi declared thoughtlessly, turning to eye him. "Is this the part where you tell me to go home for my own good?"

"I'm not in the business of telling women how to live." He shook his head.

"Then why are you here?"

He didn't know how to answer. Instinct seemed far too intense a thing to say even though it felt true. When he didn't offer an immediate response she looked at him through her lashes, a slight smile ghosting over her lips.

"I'm not defenseless. You don't have to spend your time here trying to keep me safe." Her words found him through the noise. "You seem like the sort of guy who has better interests to nurture than saving girls on dance floors."

"I'm not saving you."

Her eyebrows rose. He wasn't sure what to do.

"Why did you come talk to me?" He surged through the question, not sure where it had come from or why it was suddenly such a pressing matter.

"At school or here?" She moved to clarify, coming closer to him.

"Either. Both." He decided.

"Dance with me and I'll tell you."

Even though he didn't give his permission, she took his hands and put them on her waist before draping her arms over his shoulders. They stood at the same height, looking each other in the eyes. It was an unusual thing for him. Most girls were several inches shorter that him. He bet it was strange for her too, given the average height of their male peers. He hoped his palms were dry where their skin met. He'd never touched a girl's bare waist before. Her skin was soft.

"I spoke to you because you looked bored." She explained moving casually to the rhythm permeating the air around them. "Like, deeply, depressingly bored."

"How did you know that? No one knows that about me." He followed her lead and kept time with her, not the music.

"It's because I'm bored too. All the time. This is all about getting to the next part with as little fuss as possible and it's the worst. I guess I just saw that in you too." Her lips quirked to the side.

"And here?" He pressed, searching her face. "What made you come over to me?"

"I just wanted to." She shrugged. "I wanted to see what you'd do."

"That's it?"

"What were you hoping for? A confession?" Her eyes sparkled. "Come now, Minamino. Your stoic behavior might demand attention from our classmates but honestly I find it a little boring. It's played out."

"I'm boring to you, but interesting enough that you wanted to bother me?" His eyebrows arched. "That seems contradictory Takani."

"How do I put this." She let her head fall back on her neck then righted herself. "Ah, okay. So it's like this. It's a repeated experiment. In order to be sure a conclusion is solid you have to keep retesting it. And in order to define the limitations of a principle you have to examine it in different areas. So, the hypothesis was that you're just as boring here as you are at school."

"That's a little insulting." He flattened his expression.

"It's just science, you can't take it so personal." Her lips revealed her teeth as she smiled, her eyes creasing with the warmth of her expression. "You have your own theories about me. Don't even pretend you don't."

"I do." He nodded. "But I'm not rude enough to just start spouting them."

"You asked." She reminded him with a chuckle. "Are you always this uptight?"

"Yes."

"Unfortunate. And also a lie." She shook her head and it made him tilt his to the side. "I know you're interesting outside the confines of school and classmate interactions because you hang out with interesting people. You're just a very good actor."

He stared at her, a little surprised. "You have a habit of looking into people and I'm not sure how I feel about it."

"Most people outright detest it." She nodded. "It's an annoying thing to do."

"It is." He agreed, then he smiled at her. "But I do it too. So, if I wanted to destroy my current public image in favor of something more akin to what people hope of me, what would I do? Surely you have a profound theory to help me."

"I do, actually. It's this: You catch more flies with honey and you catch more honeys by being fly." Shinpi told him, arms loosely around his neck as he held her waist swaying to the music more than anything that could actually count as dancing. "You've got the last part down at least."

Kurama laughed, chin ducking down to hide that he was smiling. When he looked back to her face she was grinning at him, an expression that nearly mirrored his save for-"Your smile is crooked. Your lips go up more on the left than the right."

It was a poor thing to say, apparently, because that canine-baring grin faded, replaced by her pulling her bottom lip with her teeth. She looked away from him almost sadly. Her arms released him and she went to pull back but he held fast to her, grip firmer than it had been a second before. She stilled when he leaned closer to keep his voice low, the music too loud to prevent the act. His cheek was practically pressed to hers when he explained himself.

"It's not an insult. I think it's rather charming actually."

Shinpi turned back to him but he didn't retract too far. Their noses were close, nearly touching.

Kurama realized with some horror that he was wetting his lips, eyes glued to hers. Waiting to see what she'd say. Whether or not she'd shove him back so she could stomp elsewhere. The dread intensified as he discovered he didn't want her to go. And the relief he felt as she stepped closer to him, her arms once again twining around his neck was nearly sickening. This was all around a terrible, awful thing. He'd seen the way Hiei looked at her. This wasn't fair to his friend.

It wasn't fair to him either. What a waste of time, high school romances. He didn't believe in them. He'd never wanted to be part of one.

Her chest pressed to his and she put her chin on his shoulder so she could speak in his ear. His heart beat harshly in his chest, calling him a betrayer as he enjoyed the contact.

"You're the first person to think that." She let him know. "Thank you."

"I'm just the first to tell you." He assured her. "There's no way I'm the only being on this planet that's noticed. It's just math. There are enough people in this world that at least some of them have to agree with me."

"Just math." She tittered. "You're funny, Shuichi."

"Kurama." He corrected lightly, not sure why he was doing so other than the fact that he wanted to. "My friends call me Kurama."

"I have noticed that." Shinpi allowed. "I guess reciprocation demands I allow to call me Shinpi or Hichi then."

"Only if you want."

"I think I do."

"I'm honored." He sucked in his breath as she started to move against him as the song changed to something more sultry than he'd been prepared to endure. It was a good thing it was dark in here or he might blush. "It seems like a good moment to warn you that I don't know how to dance."

"No one does, they all just pretend. It's not a ballroom, you don't have to know any steps." She explained softly.

"Then what do you do?"

"You just move and hope the other person moves too." She pulled herself back only enough to look into his eyes.

His hands slid down to her hips and that lopsided grin came back just to taunt him. He hoped she thought the low-light was the reason for his blown pupils and not the fact they were so close to each other. All the deafening noise of the club couldn't drown out the relentless battering of his heartbeat in his ears. He tried to keep himself cool, let her see just what he wanted her to see. Nothing more. But he wasn't sure it was working because she offered him a knowing look, head tipped to one side ever so slightly before she shook it sending a shiver through her hair and down his spine. Then she pulled his hands off her and for a moment he regretted whatever he'd done. Until she turned her back to him, placing his hands back on her hips, her hand reaching behind him to rest on his nape.

He closed his eyes where she couldn't see him, relishing in the movement of her body.

"See, you know all the right moves." She spoke through the pulse of the bass. "I'll keep this a secret, wouldn't want to make myself a target at school by bragging about having stolen a dance from you."

"They wouldn't believe you anyway." He joked. "Me? Dancing? Talking to someone outside of my cultivated group of friends? Outlandish. Lies. Outright slander."

Her laughter shook through the two of them, radiating through her into his chest.

"All the more reason to keep it a secret. I hate being called a liar." She informed him with heavy humor.

"We're agreed then. This is our secret to keep." He breathed against the cup of her ear and felt her shift. Her fingers on the back of his neck gripped his hair for a second. Only a second. But it had happened.

"I should go. I wouldn't want to get us into trouble." She pried herself away suddenly, taking a step to put distance between their bodies.

Kurama felt his eyebrows come down, confusion stealing over him. She seemed to register it too.

"I've had a great time." Her hand extended as though she were going to touch him but then she pulled it back, eyebrows coming down as she scanned the crowd toward the door.

"Did I say something?" He asked, but she had stepped further back and he had to raise his voice which he hated because it was harder to control his tone. Her eyes again darted to the side and for just a moment she looked almost panicked. Then she swallowed and turned back to him, offering a much dimmer smile that made no attempt to warm her eyes.

"No, you were all honey." She bit her lip as she squinted toward the entrance. "I just have to go. See you in class."

Then she was gone, absorbed into the crowd. He turned to track his gaze over the sea of heads but couldn't find her. He didn't know what he'd do if he did. It wasn't like he was going to run after her.

"Was that Takani?" Yusuke's voice in his ear made Kurama startle, eyes wide as he turned over shoulder to gape at his friend. "That explains it."

"What?" Kurama almost had to yell as the music crescendoed. Had it been this loud the whole time or was it getting louder?

"Takani." Yusuke nodded toward the exit and Kurama followed the motion to see his dance partner with a much taller man, who even in the twilit bar looked older than all of them, his dark hair pulled back in a ponytail that sat at the base of his skull.

"Who is he?" Kurama asked.

"I dunno. He always come around looking for her when she's out though. I can't tell if he's her boyfriend or if he's her babysitter. He looks like a pain in the ass though."

Boyfriend?

Kurama's stomach knotted.

Of course she'd have someone already. No wonder she'd had to flee. Theirs truly had been a moment of companionship and nothing more. Not a romantic overture. Not a prelude to things to come, deeper feelings that might eventually blossom into something irrepressible. That man must be possessive. Kurama didn't fully blame him. He'd likely feel the same if he had a girlfriend like her, charming and so easily capable of sweeping the unsuspecting into her arms.

"I didn't know you two knew each other." Kurama spoke plainly, no inflection. His eyes couldn't move away from the pair by the door.

"We hang sometimes. She's a cool chick. How do you know her?" Yusuke bounced to the rhythm swallowing the dance floor.

"School." Kurama offered with no elaboration.

She turned away from the man to glance toward him. Then she flashed a quick smile and a wave. The man's attention landed on him too and he merely narrowed his eyes, bent slightly and said something to her that made her frown as she looked back to him. Then they were gone.

Together.

And Kurama was left trying to forget the way she'd felt in his hands.


	8. Frail

Yukina had heard it her whole life.

Frail.

Everyone used it to describe her for as long as she could recall. Her mother and aunties, concerned for her small stature when she was just a young thing. Doctors when she'd reacted so violently to the news of her mother's suicide. Her pale skin, her lost stomach contents, the sweat sheen had convinced them all she couldn't take such truths. The soft delivery of her words, coupled with how gently she treated others had furthered this idea. That she was something easily broken.

But she was not as delicate as the world made her out to be.

She also wasn't naive.

That's why she stared at the hand on her knee without a reaction. A strange iciness coated her veins as the feel of the fingers pressing to the skin under the hem of her uniform's skirt. This wasn't the first time someone had touched her carelessly. Some men were like that, demanding and disgusting. This one was no different.

"Do you understand, Yukina?" Mr. Akashi asked, eyebrows poised high on his forehead. "I think your grade would benefit from one-on-one time with me."

Her eyes remained fixed to the hand on her body. Slowly, she shifted her attention to his waiting expression.

"Take your hand off of me or I'll remove it myself." She told him coolly, expression neutral.

"Excuse me?" Those older fingers gripped her leg firmly.

"Mr. Akashi, I do not think you need me to repeat myself. Stop touching me." She kept her gaze trained on his beady eyes, his long sharp features. Quite ratlike, as many of the students said.

This was the man who targeted her brother and his friends. The man who had been so cruel to Yusuke that he'd dropped out. When he didn't listen to her she shoved her seat back and stood, stepping out of his reach, but not before taking hold of his pinky to wrench it backward, away from his palm. She held the finger at the harsh angle it had adopted under her guidance, watching his eyes widen as pain displayed itself on his face.

"You little brat!" He hissed.

She put more effort into assaulting the finger.

He grunted in pain.

"Let me be extremely clear with you. I do not like men touching me. Especially men who think they can lord their power over me to get me to comply with them. It did not work for my last foster home and it will not work for you. There is a reason I reside with the Kuwabaras and that is because they respect my safety. If you do not follow that example, I will not hesitate to react appropriately. Am I heard?" She released him and offered him the coldest glare in her arsenal. A family trait that she shared with her aunties and brother. A look that could freeze over the hottest of souls as fear seized them.

"You will regret that." He warned her darkly, cradling his hand.

"I am quite sure I won't." She assured him darkly. "Stay away from me."

"I can get you expelled." He hissed.

"No, you can't. My grades are exemplary. My attendance is nearly perfect. My test scores show how valuable I am to this school. Moreover, I have never once had a compliant filed against me. You have had many. In the court of public opinion an oppressive, ill-tempered male teacher loses every time to a sweet, orphaned, mild-mannered young woman." Yukina glared at him, chin raised as he got to his feet. "Do not call me in for another after school meeting."

"Get out." He seethed.

"I was just leaving." She turned on heel and marched from the room.

She was not frail, no matter how everyone saw her. She'd endured enough to know her strength. Her brother was the only one who knew she could handle herself truly, even if he didn't like to allow her to exert herself. He took pride in keeping her safe. In protecting her innocence. If she told Hiei what happened he'd get himself expelled for certain. So she wouldn't say a word.

After all, she'd made her point.


	9. Swing

Yusuke stood on his swing, swaying back and forth, plume of smoke rising from between his lips. The ever present creak of metal against metal sounded rhythmically through the park with the motion. Shinpi sat on the swing beside him, her feet against the ground as she rocked quietly, hands wrapped around the chains supporting her. He didn't ask her what was wrong. He didn't think he really needed to. She hadn't called him to talk, just to hang out.

Smoke swirled up from her cigarette then disappeared in the breeze.

He looked down at her.

She looked at the ground.

"Thanks for coming." She spoke for the first time since he'd arrived at the park, finding her already seated on the swing. Her tone was soft, listless. "I really appreciate it. I didn't know who else to call. I think you're my only friend aside from my family and Hai."

"Psh. That's lame." He snorted, trying to entice a laugh or a glare but receiving neither.

"It's a bad day." She told him quietly. "I hate today. I wish I never had to see this date again."

He frowned and lowered himself to crouch in his chosen swing, eying her. "You okay?"

"Probably not."

"Want to talk about it?"

She shot him a look, dull and unimpressed. Then she shook her head and started back up with her casual rocking, hands moved to her lap to hold each other. Ashes from her cigarette filtered down to her pants before she brushed them away. She craned her head back to stare up at the murky city sky and the barely present stars.

Yusuke slid off his swing and moved behind her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, alarmed and annoyed when he grabbed the chains on either side of her.

"Just hold on, idiot." He demanded and pulled her back as far as he could before running forward, pushing her. He ducked under her legs, coming out the other side to pull his cigarette from his lips for a second so he could exhale the smoke fully. "You gotta pump your legs dumbass."

"I know how to swing!" She yelled at him.

"Prove it." His demand earned a laugh and then she was doing it. Back and forth until there was slack in the chain.

"I'm going to jump!" She declared with a giggle.

"Do a flip." He urged just before she threw herself off the swing, landing just barely on her feet. She collapsed directly after making contact, laughter swelling up from her stomach and spilling into the wretched, useless night. Yusuke came to stand over her with a grin. "Feel better?"

She held her hand out to him so he could help her up but once he accepted, she yanked him down to the ground with her. He landed with a grunt and then rolled over to smack her in the stomach lightly.

"Thanks." She told him, calming down some.

"I'm an asshole, not a heartless bastard." He told her. "I don't know what you're dealing with but I'm glad you called."

"Me too. It's nice to just be around someone."

He eyed her with pursed lips but didn't bother nagging about it. From her pocket her phone chirped and they both listened to it for a few beats. Then she pulled the device from her pocket, silencing the call.

"Your little babysitter isn't going to like that."

"I think about running away sometimes. Do you ever get that feeling? Like everyone would just feel better if you were gone? And like you'd be doing them a favor by going on your own? I think I'm holding my whole family back." She set her phone on her chest, staring up to the sky while voicing her questions.

"Yeah, sometimes." He agreed.

"What keeps you from doing it?"

"I don't know. I guess I just think about how sad my mom was when I died that time." He explained loosely. "I was hit by a car when I was fourteen and died, technically. It took a few weeks for me to break through the coma. She was beside herself. Between that and knowing how much Keiko cares about me I guess it just feels selfish to runaway."

Shinpi lay quietly for a moment. Her phone went off again.

"You going to get that?" He rolled his head to look at her.

"Might've been easier on my family if I'd been the one who died." She swallowed, eyes misting. The ringing stopped, screen lighting up with a missed call notification.

Yusuke frowned and sat up, staring at her. "Hey man, you're not telling me you're going to kill yourself are you?"

"No. I don't have the stomach for suicide." She answered robotically. "I just think, they'd all have been able to on with their lives faster if it weren't for me."

"I dunno, sounds fake." He told her.

Her phone went off again. If ringers could sound desperate, Yusuke would have sworn that's what he heard in that digital tone. For the first time, he wondered what she was doing out there with him and if anyone knew where she was.

When he knew she wasn't going to answer it, he grabbed the device and hit answer. Then he held it to her ear, telling her, "Life sucks, princess but we get through it. Answer them."

"Hey, yeah, I'm alright." She sighed, cupping the phone to the side of her face without a smile. She couldn't muster a tone other than sadness. "Sorry for scaring you. I'm just…I just needed to be alone. I'm close by. Yeah. I'm at a park."

Yusuke listened and watched her. When she hung up the phone she sat up too.

"You're lucky so many people want to take care of you. Not everyone gets that." He told her, shoving a finger toward her face. "Don't make them regret it, dipshit. You're good people, you gotta live up to that sort of thing."

She brushed his hand away and rolled to her feet. Her fists found homes in her jacket pocket. "Right. Thanks for coming out, Urameshi. You're a good friend."

"Talk to you soon, Takani." He promised. "Want me to walk you home?"

"No."

She started to walk away, then paused. She didn't say whatever had crossed her mind, just started walking again. He frowned at her back, discomfort settling in his stomach.

"Goddammit." He uttered before jumping to his feet and running to catch up to her. She shot him a puzzled look as he slowed down at her side. "Shut up. I'm walking you home. You might get lost or something, then the cops would think I did something to you."

"I'll be fine."

"Yeah, I'm sure." He nodded. "But I can make sure of that. So. Deal with it."


	10. Pattern

The rain poured from the sky on the one day Hiei didn't have access to an umbrella. He glared up, betrayed and made to step out into the storm when someone grabbed his hand and put the handle of an umbrella in it. Blinking, he held fast to the item and looked up to see who had given it to him.

Then his stomach twisted.

Amon-Shinpi glanced at him, offered no other expression, then started walking through the rain by herself with no cover. He watched from the school steps for just a second before rushing after her.

"What are you doing?" He demanded. "Take your damn umbrella back."

"It's fine. I have more at home." She brushed him off coolly. "You look like you need it more than I do."

"I don't want anyone's charity or handouts."

"Then throw it away. I don't care." She snapped at him, shooting him a dark glare. "Don't follow me just to bitch about me giving you something. Either keep it or don't."

He kept pace beside her, lifting the umbrella high enough to protect both of them for a few minutes. She didn't speak again. He didn't either. This was different than the last, and only, time they'd talked. He'd noticed her around campus plenty. He'd meant to thank her for saving him from the rain before. He just never did it. She hadn't made any effort to speak to him either.

Her anger didn't feel so entertaining now that it was directed at him.

"How's your greenhouse?" He asked, attempting to edge his way into a conversation.

"Fine." She responded tersely.

"That's good." He swallowed. "So-"

"I don't need your pity." She grumbled suddenly. He cast her a quizzical look. "You don't have to talk to me just because I did something nice. Relax."

"Pity?" He guffawed. "Why the hell would _I_ pity _you_?"

She shook her head and cast him such a cold look it froze his tongue to the roof of his mouth. They'd stopped walking. Hiei held his breathe, scouring her face to place her emotion. What had he done to her? She'd been pretty nice to him before. Genuinely nice to him.

He didn't get that often.

"Look." He started, growing defensive under the weight of her gaze.

She rolled her eyes and stomped away, eyes forward and she didn't look back.

It rained the next three days, and each day Hiei reluctantly used the umbrella. He carefully stowed it away so nothing would happen to it, intent on returning it to Amon-Shinpi once the storms passed. He could get his own. They were everywhere. A shop wouldn't miss one if it went missing. The problem was becoming finding a way to get it back to it's rightful owner.

As it turned out, Amon-Shinpi was actually quite elusive.

"You could just give it to Kuya to give to her." Kurama suggested lightly during lunch.

"No." Hiei argued with finality. "I need to give it directly to her."

Kurama eyed him so he glared back. He didn't want to explain why. The redhead offered a measured, "That's awful kind of you."

Giving up on finding her after school, Hiei decided to strike when he knew she'd have to be there. During lunch. She normally sat with her sister, but he didn't want to address her in front of the whole school. So he waited until a day where Kuya had student council duties and meandered around until he found Amon-Shinpi sitting alone in a classroom. She looked up when he opened the door. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before he walked over and dropped her umbrella on her desk.

"Thank you." He growled the words, meaning to say them gently.

"Fine." She accepted, looking down toward the book she'd been reading.

He remained in place, feet planted. She turned a page without addressing him. He waited. She ignored him. Finally, she pulled her shoulders back and lifted her head to stare at him. "Do you need something?"

"Yes." He nodded once, sharply.

"Okay?" She continued to look at him expectantly.

"I didn't like the way you spoke to me the other day." He told her, instantly wishing he'd phrased it differently. But he hadn't. So he they were. "When I tried to give your umbrella back."

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I rude to you?" She feigned concern. "Did I upset you? Did I hurt your feelings?"

"No, you didn't hurt my feelings. I just want to know what your problem is." Hiei demanded.

"I don't have a problem." She shrugged and opened her book again. "So, if we're done here I'd like to keep reading."

"We're not done. You do have a problem." He argued hotly, hands fisting into balls in his pockets. "You should tell me what it is."

"Or?" She set the book down with a look that made him think she could, and would, drop him if needed. It reminded him of Yusuke but prettier.

"There is no 'or' Takani." He promised quietly. "Just tell me."

She placed the book on her desk and maintained eye contact with him as she rose from her chair to stand over him.

"You might want to adjust the way you speak to people, Jaganshi. It sounds like you're threatening me and I can safely assure you that is not something you want to do." Her words came out as a quiet, steady flow. She didn't blink. He felt the threat imminent in the room.

"I told you to call me Hiei." He tipped his head back to glare at her, but his eyes got trapped in hers. That swirling, furious ocean of blue. "You still want to say there's no problem here?"

"Maybe you should think about why you think there's a problem." She suggested darkly. "And if you could do it far away from me, that'd be great. I don't need another asshole following me around trying to pick fights with me."

"Who else is trying to pick fights with you?" He asked, pulled from his frustration by his curiosity.

"So you did come in to start something." She accused.

The bell rang before he could deny her claim. She cursed and gathered her things, leaving the room, shoulder checking him on the way.

Hiei went out of his way to annoy her into addressing him after that. Whenever he knew she'd seen him, he would lift his hand or chin in greeting. In the hall, once, he'd even uttered a 'hey' as they passed. All he received in response were glares and rolled eyes. It shouldn't have mattered. This wasn't an unfamiliar pattern to him. People often started out kind only to turn on him in the end.

Everyone hated him.

But the fact that she hadn't before and now she did is what bothered him.

He wanted to know why.

The opportunity to find out came in the most unexpected way. He was hanging out on school grounds, indecisive about what to do with the evening. He didn't have anywhere in particular to be. Kurama and the others were preoccupied with their lives. If he'd had more money in his pocket he'd have gone to get food somewhere. If Yusuke was at his ramen stand, he would have gone to bum a bowl. Just as he was wondering if he should get back into pickpocketing a pack of his classmates reared their ugly heads, throwing jibes his way.

He didn't particularly care.

Not until they'd insulted his mother.

Even on his best day, five against one were uneven odds. He entered the fight hoping to take at least two of them down with him, knowing he wouldn't be the victor. It didn't matter. He just wanted to keep his mom's name out of their filthy mouths, so that's where he aimed his punches. He'd managed to nail three of them when he was grabbed from behind, arms forced over his head leaving him open.

A hit to the face. A hit to the stomach. The ribs.

Hiei watched, still held defenseless, as a backpack slammed so hard into the side of his current attacker's head that the boy hit the ground with a cry of pain. It was stupid that he knew who the bag belonged to based on the wolf charm dangling from the zipper.

"Let him go." Amon-Shinpi stepped up to the group with a snarl, red hair surrounding her in a curtain of brilliant fire. Cobalt eyes glared ruthlessly, her jaw tight but her stance prepared. He was so distracted by her that when he swallowed he forgot it tasted like copper.

"Or what?" The guy holding Hiei still demanded. Three of the other boys moved to circle her.

"I'm fine." Hiei spit to the side, eyes glued to her. "Don't get involved Takani. This isn't your fight."

"No one asked you." She glanced over him, eyes narrowed, then wrinkled her nose.

In quick, precise motions she unbuttoned her school blazer and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. Then she popped her neck, rolled her shoulders and without any further preamble she proceeded to beat the living hell out of everyone present. The boy holding Hiei released him, hands raised to reveal his palms as he backed away. Hiei still slugged him in the softness of his stomach.

"Come on. We have to get out of here." Amon-Shinpi wrapped her long fingers around Hiei's wrist and yanked him behind her as they fled the scene, her school things gathered in her other arm. Hiei barely had time to stoop to grab his own bag. Her long strides had them back in the school building quickly, but not fast enough to escape the sounds of the boys getting to their feet and following. Racing through the halls she tested a door and shoved Hiei in before she followed, pulling it closed.

They panted, trapped in the utility closet together as the sound of feet pounding against tiles echoed outside their hideaway. With baited breath, they both waited until only silence was left.

"You shouldn't have done that." Hiei told her quietly, tone guarded as he wiped at the blood dripping down his chin from a newly formed cut on his cheekbone.

"You're going to get blood on your shirt, take it off." She demanded, rustling through the supplies on the shelves surrounding them. Rolling her lips, she glanced at him. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Then she left the closet.

Hiei raised his fists when the door opened a few minutes later, the redhead sliding back into the small space easily. She had a first aid kit in her hands and a few bottles tucked under her arm. The look she delivered on him caused him to glare at her.

"Your shirt." She gestured to the garment. "Take it off."

"Why?" He demanded.

"So we can prevent the stains from setting. You got blood on it." She motioned for him to hurry. After a second of deliberation, Hiei relented and unbuttoned his school jacket stripping out of it and his stained t-shirt. The act left him bare-chested but she didn't comment on it. She took the clothes and dabbed them with liquid from a brown bottle as he watched. The liquid bubbled and she scrubbed at the stains with her fingers.

"What is that?" He asked.

"Hydrogen peroxide. It removes blood stains from fabric."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm a girl." She chuckled when she caught his confused stare, draping the garments on the edge of the sink basin he leaned against. "Nevermind. We should clean you up."

She moved toward him with an alcohol wipe but he grabbed her wrist, preventing her hand from making contact with his cheek. "Why are you helping me?"

"I don't need a reason." She pulled free of his grasp only to be caught in it again when she moved once more to clean his cut. "Do you want to do this yourself?"

"You do need a reason." He argued quietly. "We've barely ever spoken and the last two times you hated the experience. Why didn't you just let them finish up? What do you get out of saving me? I won't owe you. I refuse to."

"I don't need you to owe me." She frowned at him. "I couldn't sit back and watch them wail on someone. It wasn't a fair fight."

"You seem to know your way around a brawl." He accused lightly. "You held your own."

"I've been known to dabble in the art, yes." Her tone turned cool. "Don't tell anyone."

"Who could I possibly tell that would believe me?" Crimson eyes rolled. "Why are you always so cagey?"

"You're one to talk." She hissed and while he was busy rolling his eyes she dove in and pressed the wipe to his cut, earning a furious hiss from him. When he went to push her back she grabbed his arm and pinned it to the wall, using her other hand to diligently clean the wound.

Hiei stopped fighting her, blushing scarlet. He hated that he sort of enjoyed the fact she could hold him still. It shouldn't have surprised him, she was about a half-foot taller than him. Still, it was shocking. In a good way.

"Are you done struggling?" She demanded, dropping the first used wipe into the sink, before rustting single-handed in the first aid kit for another.

He was but he didn't want her to let him go so he lied. "No."

"Stubborn." She glared at him.

"That's me." He agreed. This time the sting didn't bother him as much. He still sucked in a breath but that had more to do with the fact that she had leaned closer, her shirt brushing against his chest. He swallowed, looking up at the grimy ceiling tiles to hide his face. Her hips pressed to his as she leaned over him thoughtlessly and he had to start counting backwards from one-hundred to try to keep his mind on something boring.

It was hard to forget he was in a closet pinned to a wall by a pretty girl who was literally pressed against him though.

"Hiei?" Amon-Shinpi pulled back, her fingers trailing down his raised arm as her eyes traced over his face.

"Yes?" He swallowed, refusing to look at her even though he could tell she was studying him.

"Do you have something your pocket?" She asked quietly, still too close. His blush deepened and he pinched his eyes closed.

He didn't know how to answer her. The truth was no, but if he said that she'd realize he was a little too excited about his current situation. This was awful. He hated this moment. He hated this day.

"Sorry." Her voice was still low, apologetic. "I didn't mean to-"

"Stop talking please." He pleaded with frustration. "I just need a minute."

"Okay." She nodded, chewing her lip.

Some of her hair had fallen over her shoulder and he felt it brush his chest, which caused him to utter a heartfelt "_Fuck_."

"Am I hurting you?" Her soft alarm tugged at him, as she tried to take a step back.

"No." He growled, finally opening his eyes. Breath coming through parted lips, eyelids a little heavier than appropriate he kept his head tilted back to look at her. They both looked down to where his hand had moved to her waist to keep her from going too far. He scanned her face, searching for a reaction.

"Why have you been so angry with me?" He questioned her, eyes raising from his hand on her body to her face. Whatever his expression said, it made her offer the smallest of gasps, eyes widening ever so slightly.

"You ignored me." She whispered, chin angled down, one hand gripping the edge of the sink.

"When?" He demanded, his hand moving from her waist to rest flat against her back. He hadn't realized his voice could get this low. "You're the one whose been ignoring me."

"You started it. After you left the greenhouse. I tried to talk to you the next day and you completely ignored me." She swallowed as his hand moved. Her teeth caught her lip. "You looked at me then walked straight passed me."

"I didn't hear you." He told her. "I had water in my ears because of the rain starting up again and I couldn't hear much of anything until Kurama helped me after school. I remember seeing you but I didn't want to embarrass you by having people think we knew each other."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well this all seems like a silly misunderstanding then." She patted his chest and then looked down at her hand as she seemed to finally realize her was touching bare skin. Hiei watched her face as pink spread over her cheeks and nose.

"What if I hadn't ignored you?" He asked, eying her mouth. "What would have happened?"

"I would have asked you to hang out sometime." She explained, gaze dipping to his lips. "But that's not what happened. Which is unfortunate because-"

"Because." He agreed with a slight nod. "Maybe it's for the best. I'm not exactly the type of person you want to get to know. If you're looking for a boyfriend you won't find him here."

"I see." She pulled her brows down. "I guess it's good I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

"Good." He continued, voice turning rough as her hand on his chest ran down to his aching ribs. "Then I think you're safe with me. I won't be taking you out to any fancy dinners or anything like that. Ask anyone. They'll tell you. I'm just not the sort of guy who takes pretty girls out on dates."

"You think I'm pretty?" The question sounded sincere and it killed him and his self-control. Grabbing her by the shirtfront he drug her down to his mouth, hungrily pressing his lips to hers despite not knowing what the fuck he was doing. Her hands instantly smoothed over his chest, one coming to rest on his cheek the other on the side of his neck. She took control, kissing just like she fought.

Deftly, with precision and practice.

He moaned, tugging at her hips to try and limit the space between their bodies. When they separated for air, both of them panting, the room felt about forty degrees too warm. Hiei hazily stared into her eyes.

"We should go before we get locked in." She breathed and he didn't want to agree.

"When we leave, you're not going to pretend this didn't happen are you?" He asked. "That feels like something that would happen to me."

"I'm not going to lie, Hiei. No one can know about this, I'm sorry." She apologized and he felt a weight sink in his stomach until she brushed her mouth over his. "But as long as no one finds out then we can do whatever we want."

"Except date." He clarified, to which she nodded.

"So, we could do this again." He made sure and she offered him a smile and another nod. "It's probably for the best we don't interact too much. Just in case. I'm warning you now so you don't get pissed off again."

"I don't think it would be weird if we were friendly." She hedged.

"Just not too friendly. People will get suspicious if I suddenly start being nice to you." He warned her, groping around the sink for his shirt.

"I can understand that." She allowed. "So, friendly but not too friendly and definitely not dating. We're just keeping it casual and quiet. Nothing serious. No strings or anything. Because this is definitely not a relationship. It's just two teenagers making out whenever they want."

"Exactly. Casual." Hiei nodded, willing to agree to just about anything if it meant he could do this again.

Quickly, she pulled a band-aid from the kit and pressed it over his cut gently, not realizing until after she'd applied it that it was soft pink with hearts on it. "You might want to change that later. I wasn't paying attention to what I picked."

"It's fine." He assured her.

"We should really go." Amon-Shinpi told him again, worry coloring her tone.

"You should leave first. Just in case." He glanced to the door and she followed his message, grabbing her bag.

She pulled a card from the front pocket and handed it to him. "My contact info. See you later, Hiei. Put me in your phone as Shinpi or Hichi, okay?"

He didn't say goodbye. Once the door closed behind her he exhaled fully and sagged against the sink with a sloppy grin on his face. What a fucking day. He took it all back. Everything. He'd happily get punched in the face again if it brought her to his aid. He brushed his fingertips against his lips and sighed.

Not bad for a first kiss, he guessed. She didn't complain at least. And she'd given him her number. He needed to get a phone. Maybe Kurama had an old one he could usurp, he thought as he started to get dressed. She'd let him touch her waist. Pressed against him. No wonder Yusuke was so stuck on Keiko, he'd only just gotten his first kiss and he was already feeling addicted.

He knew this was trouble and it wouldn't end well.

But he was at least going to let himself enjoy the ride.


	11. Snow

Kuwabara sat at a table alone, tucked against the far corner of the library wall, just passed the reference section. His leg bounced to count the seconds while he read over the materials for today's study session. He felt like he grasped the concepts well enough, he just wanted to be sure. He had to work harder than almost anyone to get into this school, and he had to keep himself there. This was his ticket to a good university and then a good job. Something he could use to support a family one day maybe. Something respectable. Something better.

He really wanted to be better.

His grades had steadily gotten better and then stabilized with Kuya's help. Ever since she'd volunteered to tutor him he'd found his anxiety around homework and tests had nearly disappeared. If he had a question he knew she would help him. If he didn't do as well as he'd hoped she explained to him his mistakes with delicate words so that he didn't feel like a loser.

She was a nice girl, he liked her. She was the kind of person who seemed to have an infinite flow of patience, which he appreciated. Not once had she become frustrated with him or made him feel stupid for taking longer to understand something. She moved at his pace, eliminating the expectation for him to catch up to her. Other tutors had never been this effective for him. Even the paid ones. Plus she brought snacks and listened when he talked about his life.

He wondered why they didn't hang out more outside of school, wiggling his pencil between two of his fingers on one hand while absently staring at the wall.

He'd been bummed that they hadn't seen each other over summer break. Hopefully she'd had a good time.

Kuwabara guessed she was busy with her real friends. They probably had parties and stuff. Went to fancy places to take cute pictures.

A sigh escaped from his chest. As much as he looked forward to these sessions he hated waiting. Especially in the library. All the quiet made him nervous and this time of night it was practically silent in here. He was alone. Like, completely alone.

Glancing at his watch he spied the time. Where was Kuya? It wasn't like her to be late, and by late he meant less than ten minutes early. Punctuality was a point of pride for her from what he'd come to know. Their predesignated meet-up time was steadily creeping up on him.

The front door of the library opened and closed. He exhaled his relief.

Finally.

Raking his hand through bleached-orange curls formed into his trademark pompadour he burst into a goofy grin. A little too loudly for the space he announced, "Man, I thought you were ditching me."

No one answered him.

The smile faded into a frown. He heard what he thought were footsteps but no voice so he rose from the table to see if maybe Kuya just hadn't heard him. Maybe she had headphones on? He'd never seen her listen to music but everyone did it so she must too, right? A quick pace to the front of the library revealed no one waiting to greet him. No librarian behind the circulation desk either. A book dropped, coming from several aisles away from the table he'd chosen.

Well, not chosen. It was the table they always sat at.

Why would Kuya be all the way over in fiction?

He slowly turned toward the sound, swallowing as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The prickling sensation on his nape made his palms sweat a little. He didn't like the way this felt, not at all.

"Hey Kuya. Is that you?" He called, cautiously moving toward the noise. Trailing quietly through the stacks he thought he glimpsed a shadow moving but when he scanned the aisles around him he realized it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

Maybe he'd had too much caffeine or not enough sleep.

The overhead speakers, used solely for announcements, turned on but no voice called from them. Just the snow of a radio between stations. In the static he thought he heard someone speak but it was impossible to decipher. Mostly it just sounded exactly like what it was. Noise.

Unease enveloped him.

The speakers cut off without warning leaving his ears to adjust to the rush of silence. Swallowing he remained fixed in place, disturbed.

"Kazuma?"

He nearly squeaked at the intrusion of the gentle voice, startled. Kuya called his name again, sounding confused as he tried to determine if he was having a heart attack or not. Catching his breath he tripped over his feet running toward her where she waited at their table.

"Kuya." He stared at her then spun around quickly to assess their surroundings.

"You shouldn't run in here." She chided with a smile. "What were you doing?"

"When did you get here?" He demanded, ducking down to keep his voice lower than his earlier greeting to her. Immediately her face shifted into a look of concern as she studied him.

"Just a minute ago." She gestured toward their table where two paper cups of hot drinks waited. "I went to a cafe to grab us something to drink and the lined was nearly out the door. I probably shouldn't have bothered. I knew I'd be late. I didn't mean to worry you."

"I don't care that you were late." He assured her. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"The speakers."

"Oh. Yeah, I did. They stopped right when I walked in." She nodded. "Strange. Maybe the custodian accidentally hit the button in the office."

He didn't agree. It must have showed on his face because she looked around them with a frown.

"Something else happened. You're trembling."

Kuwabara felt heat rise in his face at her declaration but also at her tone. She sounded nearly angry at the idea that something had happened to him. Her eyes narrowed, lips pulled to one side. Then she walked over and grabbed her bag.

"Come on, Kazuma. Let's go back to the cafe. I know it's crowded but I think it'll be a nice change of scenery." She didn't comment on how foolish he must have seemed.

Embarrassed, he rubbed his neck to quiet the raised hairs. "No, it's okay. I just thought I heard something before the speakers started up. I must have freaked myself out."

"No. We're going. Grab your things." She left no room for argument, her tone stern as she squared her shoulders. "I don't want to be here anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Kazuma. Gather your things." She stared at him, pining in him place with her stare. "Now, please."

He nodded and hustled to shove his papers back in his pack. It was then he noticed a book on the table he hadn't put there. A collection of horror stories. For a moment his attention stayed fixed to the spine of the book before he snatched his coffee off the tabletop and allowed Kuya to lead them away. Still anxious, he reached over and put a hand on her back.

"Sorry." He muttered as they neared the doors. "I know this is ridiculous. Sometimes I get jumpy."

"You don't owe me an apology, Kazuma." Kuya kept her head level and shoulders back as they pushed through the doors. Once outside she glanced behind them. "If there's one thing I've learned from my sister it's to trust your instincts and yours were obviously telling you to get away."

"Yeah, they were." He agreed quietly. "But it's stupid. I mean, it's a library, we go there all the time. I think I just got anxious waiting for you and let my imagination get to me."

"Even if that's true," she looked up at him as they continued walking, "there's no reason to stay where you're uncomfortable."

"Thanks." He sighed.

She looked behind them again, consternation taking hold of her features for a moment before she decided to look forward. His hand moved on her back, rubbing gently as if to soothe her. It was really for him. He just felt so weird about it, leaving and what happened before she showed up. He didn't feel alone.

And as it turned out, that was far worse than the quiet.


	12. Dragon

They called Yusuke the Demon King. He'd earned the nickname Demon by winning all his fights with his bullheaded, relentless strength. His confidence knew no bounds. Like a demon of yore he thrived on bruising his knuckles and making his enemies bow. It was hard to topple him even on his bad days. He'd gone undefeated most of his life. He'd earned the title King by recruiting some of the other best brawlers on the streets.

Kazuma Kuwabara, who was second only to Yusuke in their school when they were younger. Tall, built like a wall, known for that stupid rooster comb he called hair. He'd taken a step back from the scene once he entered high school. He wanted to build a reputation around his brain instead of his brawn but if you put him in the right mood by doing something that opposed his moral code he would not hesitate to lay you out.

Shuichi Minamino, The Fox, didn't fight. He ended fights. If he entered the fray you were done for because it took an act of god to get him off his ass. And he held no remorse for the things he did. If someone ended up at his mercy they were out of luck. He had none. Cold, calculated, quick-witted and spritely. He never got caught, unlike the rest of them. Too clever and with none of the time for trouble the rest of them had on their hands.

Then there was him, Hiei The Dragon. Often at Yusuke or Kurama's elbow, he prowled the streets without regard for his own limitations. He didn't care. Anytime he hit a wall when it came to his strength he broke through it. Known for not taking shit and causing as much trouble as he could. He'd been the first of them to really get any sort of conviction on his name. Last of them to really fold in with the group, he still held himself on the outer edges. It wasn't anything person. He liked the others well enough, he was just used to being alone. He lacked Kuwabara's compassion, Yusuke's enigmatic draw, Kurama's sharp-edged intellgence. But he shared other qualities with the three boys. His relentless pursuit of strength and victory, his own moral compass that pointed a little left of true north, a streak of ruthlessness a mild wide. No one fucked with him.

Most of the time.

The fight Shinpi had entered for him had been an unusual occurrence. Generally speaking he could hold his own. He wasn't scared of getting hurt though. The danger of it, of maybe leaving a fight a little broken, excited him a little. At any rate no one got the drop on him twice.

Which is how the group of boys who had so carelessly beat on him a few weeks prior were laying on the ground, bleeding and bruised, at his feet. He stepped on the chest of their leader, sneer firmly in place.

"Don't fuck with me again if you want to keep you teeth." He growled, digging his heel into the boy's sternum. "Next time I won't just beat you. I'll start breaking your damn bones."

A stammered plea met his ears so he backed off. Digging a pack from his pocket he pulled a cigarette to his lips, lighting it as he swaggered across the school lawn.

It hadn't been his idea to go to high school. He'd planned on dropping out, finding odd jobs to make ends meet. Kurama was the one who had pushed him to stay. Forced him to apply to the school he went to despite the other boy being a year older. Hiei hadn't known Yukina had been accepted until he saw her during orientation. He'd tasted acid that day, realizing he'd been tricked. If he dropped out now, his sister would know him for the failure he was destined to be. He couldn't allow it. So he managed to stay in, barely keeping up with his classes.

If he were the type to pity himself, he'd admit that being homeless made worrying about this studies seem a little less important than other things. Like finding a safe place to sleep. Or food to eat.

For a while he'd stayed with Kurama, off and on, but then Ms. Minamino had asked if he wanted to move in with a voice laced with concern and he hadn't been able to look her in the eye so he'd bolted. She had her newish husband and her step-son, who by all accounts was a decent kid, and he didn't want to sully their home. They were a family meant to find success.

When Yukina had decided to leave their aunts after finding out they'd intentionally left Hiei out in the cold, she'd found a new safe haven with the Kuwabaras. The giant might've had designs on her, but he was a good guy if Hiei were pressed to admit it. He kept Yukina safe. His family kept her fed and in nice clothes and she had her own room in their apartment.

That was enough for him.

Maybe if he managed to stay in school long enough to graduate he could find a semi-decent, respectable job. Something that made enough money to pay bills on a real place. Maybe an apartment or something with two rooms.

Maybe Yukina would want to live with him for a while so he could be the one taking care of her for a change.

It felt like a pipe dream, but it was his pipe dream.

He made it just through the school gates when he heard the sound of a camera shutter. Pausing he turned to look behind him, brows pulled down as he pulled the cigarette from his lips. No one but the boys groaning as they writhed in the grass. He looked down both sides of the streets and saw nothing. Glaring, he did another quick examination of his surroundings then decided it was time to go.


	13. Ash

Shinpi's fingers danced over the keys of the school's piano, drawing a song from the beast of an instrument. Her voice filled the music room, coating the space with her melancholic tone. She wasn't in the music program. By all rights she didn't need to be in the room, but Kuya was busy living up to the title of Student Council President, so she'd decided to wander until she found something to do. That's when she'd found the piano.

It was just her in this wing, as far as she knew. Kuya and the other student council members were on the other side of the school. No one else had stayed after this late. She was free to do practice what she wanted.

Swaying in her seat, she poured herself into the song. Every note weighed down with pieces of her soul. It felt good to be creating music again. She hadn't done this since…

Well she'd stopped practicing when she'd left her old school.

She had no idea she was being watched, listened to. If she had known she might have been more reserved. She would have quieted herself instead of belting the lyrics at the top of her voice.

Kurama leaned just outside the door, where she couldn't see him. It seemed like she wanted to be alone. Still, he peeked into the room with a small smile on his face as he watched her move, her eyes closed while she performed for an empty room. The sound of the piano had drawn him. He'd been finishing up some extra work in the science lab when the music had started. Like a moth to a flame his curiosity drug him toward the source. He was not disappointed.

Glancing down the hall he saw Kuya Takani approaching, a finger held to her lips to prevent him from calling to her. She too wore a smile, but to him it seemed sad.

"She's always had a talent for music." She whispered. "Do you know this song?"

He shook his head.

"It's such a Hichi song to sing. It's from an American comic book film. It's called Ashes, sung by Celine Dion." Kuya looked toward the room and let out a deep breath. "She performed it like this at our grandfather's funeral. It was the last time I heard her sing. She made everyone cry."

"I'm sorry." Kurama felt mildly ashamed for his voyeurism. "I hadn't known it was such a sentimental song for you two. I was just drawn by the sound of her voice."

"It's alright." She shook her head gently.

The song faded off, leaving them cloaked in resolute silence.

"You two would make terrible spies." Shinpi's voice startled both of them as she stood in the doorway suddenly. Kuya's hand flew to cover her heart. Kurama blushed, caught again. She shot him a look. "I didn't know anyone other than the student council was still on campus."

"I had to file some notes in the lab for the greenhouse." He explained. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"You didn't mean to get caught." She amended for him then shrugged. "It's fine. You don't have to look like I'm about to hit you."

"It's not that. I'm just struck by your talent. Your voice is quite lovely, I'm a little bothered I haven't heard more of it. Seems wasteful." He straightened, angling his face toward her with a smile.

"If you were easier to be around maybe you'd have heard me sing by now." Shinpi responded, hand moving to the back of her head, casting him a look with her chin tipped up. A smile curved her mouth, light entering her eyes that warned him of trouble to come. "This is the problem with being boring, Kurama."

Kuya looked between the two of them, suppressing her delight.

"Do I still bore you?" He wondered quietly, not taking his eyes off her face.

"Maybe." She told him. "What are you going to do about it?"

His devilish nature shone in his eyes then, his chin ducking down to allow him to fix her in place with his stare. A grin slid over his lips, shaping them into a promise.

"You have a greenhouse?" Kuya interrupted with excitement that she had to direct at something other than the charged air between her sister and Minamino. "That's so funny."

"Why?" He glanced to her with humor.

"My sister happens to love gardening. She learned from our grandmother. She has a wonderful greenhouse close to our house. You should come by and see it sometime." Kuya offered with warmth.

All at once a blush colored Shinpi's cheeks and she glared at her twin, grabbing her by the arm to haul her away.

"He's busy." She spoke for Kurama quickly.

"I don't think he is." Kuya protested, keeping pace with her sister. Her grin beamed and her eyes glimmered. Waving behind her. "We'll see you later, Minamino! Thank you for listening with me."

"Sure." He stared after them puzzled. "See you in class."

Shinpi paused and looked behind her. Her attention swept over him then she looked away but he saw some hesitation in her step.

That wrongful heat coursed through him again.

"You should come see mine then." He called after the twins, lightheartedly.

Kuya waited until they were nearly out the school doors to laugh at her sister. Shinpi pushed her with a glare.

"Stop it." She warned.

"Oh my god. You like him!" Kuya declared, giggling. "I can't believe you have a crush on the most wanted boy in school."

"I do not." Shinpi argued hotly. "Stop it. I'm serious. This isn't funny."

"You were totally flirting."

"I flirt with everyone. Shut up." Despite her words a blush darkened her skin, touching the tips of her ears. "I do not have a crush on him."

"Sure." Kuya nodded, smug in her discovery. "I believe you sister."

"How is Kuwabara by the way?" Shinpi asked with a glint in her eye.

Kuya stuck her tongue out, not rising to the bait. They walked toward the front gate together, stopping as a black car pulled to the curb, the front passenger window rolled down. Hayato looked them over then nodded to the back of the car as a direction for them to enter.

"How was school?" He asked mildly.

"It was the usual." Shinpi responded, sounding bored.

"The same old, same old." Kuya agreed, grinning out the window.

"Yeah?" He looked through the review mirror to the two girls. "Just a normal day?"

Both girls hummed to the affirmative and he focused forward, a smirk stealing over his face.

"Then why is Hichi blushing?"

She let out a feral scream, face buried in her hands while the other two occupants of the car laughed at her expense.


	14. Overgrown

Kurama left the greenhouse unlocked most of the school day, only closing the padlock at night before he left campus. It was just a precaution. He had some rare specimens harbored within the glass walls, some delicate flora that needed special attention and care. He didn't want some hapless fool getting in there unattended and ruining his good work. While the greenhouse had been staged as a botany project and a gift for the school, he did actually care very much about it. Plants were a passion of his.

So he was a little annoyed to find the lock undone in the morning when he arrived early to school on Monday.

"Hello?" He called, stepping into the greenhouse with purpose. "This area is supposed to be off limits outside of school hours."

"Wow, you sound a little scary." Shinpi's head popped up from behind a row of flowering plants. She ducked back down after announcing herself and catching his slow blinking expression.

"What are you doing here?" Kurama walked toward her, still annoyed but also curious. "How did you get in?"

"I've always been here," she told him in her best imitation of a spooky voice. "I asked the custodian to let me in. There's a staff key in the office."

He had forgotten about that. He was so often the only person who seemed to care that the greenhouse existed he'd completely disregarded the fact that of course the staff had their own key to the premises.

"And you needed to get in here because?" He pressed, moving to watch her scribble some notes in a notebook. He could just make out some rough sketches of the flowers, their scientific and common names written beside the drawings. Her hand writing was nearly indecipherable. "What are you writing?"

"Your gardenias are thriving. I can never keep mine alive." She explained, still focused on her work. "I'm taking notes of the growing conditions. They're my favorite flower so I'd like to learn to grow them the right way."

"I can tell you my method." Kurama offered with a smile. "They are lovely to look at."

"I like the way they smell." She glanced to him. "You have a substantial assortment of medicinal herbs and plants too. I'm impressed."

"You have a good eye." He nodded. "My mother was sickly until recently so I studied up on all manner of treatments. I was able to create a few remedies to ease her ailments. Nothing to replace a doctor's care of course, but it helped."

"Of course you did." She chuckled, closing her notebook. "So, you're the type of person who would go out of his way to master a skill just to make his mother feel better."

Her eyes scanned over him and she sighed, then looked back toward the gardenias.

"That's not very boring of you, Kurama. In fact I'd say it's rather charming." To him, she sounded almost forlorn at the news.

"The horror." He tilted his head, hair spilling to one side. "I'm sorry you had to hear something so awful at the beginning of your week."

"It's better to start low so I can claw my way up." She offered him a smirk.

"What a positive outlook."

"I think you need a second set of hands in here." Her declaration made him look around to assess the greenery. "It's getting a little overgrown. Wild."

"Untamed?" He asked quietly.

"It's nature, Kurama. You might be keeping it in pots but that doesn't mean it's tamed." She rose and slid her notebook into her backpack, moving around him toward the door. Pulling the strap over her should she tossed him a smile. "I think I'll be coming out here more often, if that's alright. I might be as skilled as you but I'm sure I'll be able to help."

"Don't speak down about yourself. I'm sure your hands are very skilled." He smiled and then cosed his eyes, grimacing as he realized the accidental double entendre. "What I mean to say is-"

"See you in class." She cut him off with a laugh and flounced away. Over her shoulder she called, "Prepare yourself, I plan on demolishing the whole class in sprints."

"You shouldn't have warned me." He wondered if she even heard him because she was too far away and he made no move to head toward the entrance.

Running his hand through his bangs then to the back of his head, he turned and examined the interior of the greenhouse. She was right, he had let it get out of hand. He ran through his morning ritual of watering and checking on the plants quickly and beelined for the lawn. Hiei and Kuwabara waited for him. He glanced over the shorter of the two and blinked.

"Nice bandaid." He remarked, gesturing to the soft pink, heart spotted bandage covering a cut on Hiei's cheek that hadn't been there when he'd last seen him on Friday.

"Shut the hell up." Hiei snapped back at him.

"What happened?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Hiei got his ass handed to him." Kuwabara announced with a frown. "Five against one, I heard."

"Are you alright?" Kurama blinked, studying him.

"I'm fine." Hiei glared at him for a second, then smirked. "Anyway, I handled it. They won't make the same mistake again."

Kurama frowned, reaching over to carefully take Hiei's chin in his hand, turning his head so he could see the bruising. Then he retracted his touch. "If they come around again, let me know Hiei."

"I said I handled it." Hiei growled at him.

"I heard you." Kurama's voice lacked any warmth, his expression cool. Then he turned to scan the flux of students entering the grounds. "You know how I feel about people hurting my friends."

"We're going to be late. Don't want to interrupt your perfect attendance." Hiei flashed an empty smile to the redhead then shouldered around him to get to the stairs leading to the school's entryway.

"I heard someone saved him. He's pretty sore about it. Yusuke asked him and got slugged in the stomach." Kuwabara whispered. "You know how Hiei feels about being rescued."

"The same way we all do." Kurama snorted. "He's right, we're going to be late. We should head in."

"Yeah, where were you?" Kuwabara pried shameless as they ascended the steps. "I didn't see you walk in."

"I was in the greenhouse. You know, checking on things." Kurama smiled to himself, then tossed the expression to his towering friend. "The usual."


	15. Legend

"It's the truth." Yusuke's hands sunk in his pockets, a smile as slick as his hair gracing his face. "Everyone knows this, come on."

"Shut up Yusuke." Keiko rolled her eyes.

"Liar." Kuwabara accused. Yukina stood between him and Keiko, quietly watching this unfold. She was used to Yusuke's antics at this point.

"I've never heard about this." Kuya blinked at Yusuke, soft expression expectant. "A ghost?"

"Yeah, in the school. If you stay after dark rumor is that it'll find you and stalk you and if you see it, it'll," Yusuke jumped toward her clapping his hands together, making her jump, "make you go crazy with fear."

"Bullshit Urameshi." Kuwabara pushed him back from Kuya with enough force to make him stumble. "It's just some stupid urban legend."

"You said it was true." Kuya moved her hands to the strap of her shoulder bag, twisting it until Kuwabara put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Yeah, because it is. Don't listen to that big idiot." Yusuke snorted.

"But then you said it was a rumor." She continued, tipping her head to the side.

Yusuke stared at her.

"So which is it, a rumor or the truth?" She pinned him with her gaze, her eyes catching the light in such a way that he couldn't deny the resemblance between her and her sister.

"Some rumors are true, Takani." He offered in return, leaning forward.

"I think I agree with Kazuma." She declared. "This is sounds like bullshit."

"Kuya!" Keiko squeaked, surprised. "Language!"

"She's right though." Yukina allowed and that earned a moan from Keiko.

A locker slammed in another hall and all four of them stilled, turning in unison toward the sound. Kuwabara glanced toward Yusuke then down the hall. For a beat only silence existed between them. Then a voice that caused them all to jump.

"What are you all looking at?" Hiei asked, scuttling back as they all whipped around to face him with various expressions of alarm.

"C'mon man." Kuwabara let out a long breath, then glared at his friend. "You can't just sneak up on people like that!"

"What are you doing here?" Yusuke blinked at him. "You scared us, asshole."

"I'm waiting for Kurama." Hiei deadpanned. "What you doing here, dropout?"

"What did you call me?"

"I called you a dropout because you're a dropout." Hiei smirked as Yusuke took a swing at him, halfhearted as it was. For a brief moment Yusuke attacked while his short friend dodged him until another voice called Hiei's name.

"Are you ready?" Kurama asked, appearing at the end of the hall from the direction Hiei had walked. "Oh, I didn't know you were all still here."

"Yeah I'm ready." Hiei sauntered toward him, ignoring the jibe Yusuke threw at him.

Kuya kept her voice quiet, but the others still heard her question, "If they were down that hall then who was down the other?"

Kuwabara swallowed, then laughed and rubbed his neck asking if they wanted to go get something to drink as a group. Keiko bobbed her head, agreeing quickly before looping her arm through Kuya's and leading the girl toward the exit. Kuwabara walked close to Yukina, moving the conversation to the details of their day. Yusuke hung back with a frown, glancing behind them. Just in case.


	16. Wild

"Wanna hang out after I close up?" Yusuke bent over the small counter of his ramen stand to leer at Hiei, who was hunched over an overly filled bowl of the noodles. Yusuke always piled it on for him. Extra pork. Firm noodles. Extra egg. The boy loved to eat even before he'd been kicked out.

Hiei waited to answer, bringing the bowl to his mouth so he could tip it back and drown himself in the rich, heavy broth. Once the bowl was empty and passed back to Yusuke he finally replied.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. It's been a while." Yusuke dropped the bowl into the small sink and quickly washed it out before piling it with the others of it's kind. "Let's get wild buddy."

"No clubs." Hiei glared at him. "Kurama told me you drug him to one. Again. I won't go."

"He had fun." Yusuke protested, waving a spatula through the air. Then he pointed the utensil at Hiei's face. "You might too if you loosened the fuck up now and then."

"I don't have time to be loose. I have things to do."

"How's it feel being such an old man so young?"

"Why don't you ask your mom how I feel." Hiei smirked, catching the piece of meat Yusuke threw at him in his mouth with smug satisfaction.

"It's not fair that you do mom jokes when we can't do them back." Yusuke grumbled. "Asshole."

Hiei shrugged and waited for Yusuke to finish cleaning the stand. He, as usual, didn't offer to help. When the time came to pull the two stools inside he merely waited nearby until the little shack was shuttered and locked tight, hands in his pockets and belly full of delicious warm food. He worried that maybe he'd been coming around too much asking for handouts and then running off to stake his claim on a place to sleep, but the fact Yusuke genuinely wanted to hang out with him eased that concern. If he was being a pest Yusuke of all people would tell him.

"Anything you want to do?" Yusuke pried, hands in the pockets of his pea green jacket with it's orange collar and cuffs.

Hiei always thought that particular jacket was pretty hideous. It was something he and Keiko agreed on. What was even with that color combination? At least he wore a plain white tee under it instead of one of his garish patterned shirts. And the collar wasn't popped today. Small miracles. Even Hiei, in his weathered blue jeans with holes forming on the knees and his stretched out, faded black t-shirt, felt like he dressed better than his rowdy friend. When he offered a shrug to Yusuke's question the conversation shifted slightly.

"Where's your jacket?" A pair of brown eyes glanced over Hiei's attire.

"Must've left it somewhere." Hiei told him coolly. It was a lie, but he didn't want to admit it. The mere idea of someone stealing from him was infuriating enough with it actually happening. If he ever found the bastard, he'd kill them. That jacket had been a gift from Kurama's mother. He'd had it for three years and was finally growing into it.

"And your backpack?" Yusuke checked his nails with strict attention. "You misplace that too?"

"I gave it to Kurama for safekeeping."

"Smart." The other boy nodded as they began to wander. "So, what's new in your life?"

"Nothing." Hiei lied so smoothly no one, not even Yusuke, would be able to tell. "It's the same as always. School, eat, sleep."

It was not the same as always though. Practice kept his expression neutral as he remembered the passionate experiences he'd had in the closet with Amon-Shinpi. Yusuke would never let him live it down if he talked about it. He'd hammer him with annoying questions until he worked out the answers himself or until Hiei caved and told him. There was no need to rile up his friend group. Maybe if things kept going he'd eventually hint at it.

"I am thinking of getting a cellphone though." Hiei explained lightly. "Maybe if you idiots had a way to contact me you'd all stop pestering me with your concerns so often. It's getting annoying."

"We barely even talk about it." Yusuke shoved him by the shoulder.

"Looks count."

"They do not."

"Do too."

"Maybe if you just-" Yusuke started, hands on his hips as he prepared himself to launch into a tirade. Hiei's hand rose and stopped him as they stood a few yards down from a group of college-aged boys. There were six of them, all larger than either of them.

"That's my jacket." Hiei hissed as fury lit up every cell in his body. "That's my fucking jacket."

With a stare Yusuke agreed. It was definitely Hiei's lost jacket. A black peacoat with a button missing. While it looked like any other generic coat on the market it had a telltale defect that assured them both that the boy wearing it was not it's rightful owner.

A purple dragon patch on the left arm sewn on by Shiori Minamino to cover a slash in the material the year before after Hiei narrowly avoided a hospital visit during a knife fight. He'd picked the patch out himself. He still had the knife he'd confiscated, he kept it sheathed and tucked into the side of his steel-toed combat boots.

Now all he needed was the damn jacket back.

Yusuke and Hiei shared a look, then they both smirked and raised their chin in agreement. Yusuke was the one who spoke up loud enough that the group could hear them as they stalked closer. "Oy. Where'd you get that jacket man?"

Hiei glared at the offender. The thief. The bastard. The one in his coat who sneered at them then laughed. They stopped a few feet away.

"I found it." The boy declared, glib. He turned to his friends with a head shake and gestured to the two teens facing them. "Someone needs to come collect their kids before they get hurt."

"Yeah, don't you two have a curfew or something?" One of the others snorted. "I'm sure your mommies want you to go home and brush your teeth so she can read you a story."

"My mom's dead." Hiei turned his attention to the one speaking, his eyes cold. The group shifted in discomfort, shooting each other glances. "And you're about to meet her if you don't give me back my fucking jacket. Now."

Yusuke muttered under his breath, exasperated, "The dead mom card. Really?"

Hiei didn't respond, too busy with glaring into the soul of the idiot who still hadn't shirked off the damn coat to give back to him. 

"Your jacket?" The first boy asked, blinking. Then he tilted his head. "You're mistaken kid. This is my jacket. I told you I found it and I'm sure they taught you the finders keepers rule in kindergarten last week."

"Man, just give him back the jacket. We're trying to have a good night here." Yusuke waved toward them. "It's his and we all know it."

"And if I don't?"

"He's not going to." Hiei told Yusuke quietly.

"It's better if you do." Yusuke lowered his hand to his side. "Trust me."

The group all chuckled to themselves, rolling their eyes. Hiei glanced over to Yusuke who looked back at him before they both shrugged. Then they were in motion. Yusuke's fist bit the mouth of the one who had talked about their moms. Hiei went for the one on the right of the boy wearing his jacket, fist biting into his solar plexus to double him over so he could grab the back of his jacket and use it to throw him to the ground. Then he bared his teeth at the asshole wearing his coat and lunged.

Yusuke weaved between the strikes of one of the other guys, backing up with his arms raised. It would be his luck to pick a fight with what seemed like a damn boxer. He accepted a hit to the ribs to nail his attacker in the side but neither of them went down. Annoyed, he rolled his eyes and shook off the pain. When the boy threw a haymaker, Yusuke ducked under his arm, fingers wrapping around the extended wrist. Yanking the arm back he shoved his foot into the man's back, launching him face forward into the wall of the building to their left.

Hiei's attackers were sharper, faster than Yusuke's. A jab to the kidneys had the coat-thief stumbling with a groan. A knee to the stomach had him doubled over. Shoved against the wall by someone four inches shorter than himself had him trembling with fear or fury, it didn't rightly matter.

"Give. Me. My. Fucking. Jacket." Hiei snarled, palm pressing harshly against the man's windpipe. His fingers dug into the meat of his neck, nails biting into the skin.

"Just give it to him!" One of the others cried, backed as far away from the skirmish as they could be without outright running away. "It's just a stupid coat."

"Fine." The boy rasped under the pressure of Hiei's grip. He unfastened the two functioning buttons and stripped the garment off. "Take it."

"Don't steal from people. It's bad for you." Hiei accepted the offering, backing away to slip into it. The boy sunk down the wall, hand on his throat as he worked to breathe.

"Bastard." He seethed from the ground.

"But still better than you." Hiei told him with a smirk.

Yusuke's opponent raised his hands to end the fight, flinching just before a fist stopped nearly an inch from his face. Hiei nodded away from his friend, gesturing for them to move on.

"Urameshi let's go." Hiei told him, dropping the name on purpose to watch the blood drain from the group's stricken faces.

"Alright Hiei." Yusuke stepped back and then around the guy trembling on the ground. He made his way to his friend with his hands in his pockets. Then he turned around and pointed a finger gun at the group, clicking his tongue before pantomiming shooting them. "Stay safe boys, there are some shady characters on the streets."

Hiei laughed. Once they started walking away he began patting the pockets of the coat and found a wallet. He stopped and looked through it, pulling the paper bills out before throwing it into the lap of the man who'd given him back his jacket. Then he tossed him a set of keys.

He wasn't a total monster.

But given the amount he'd earned from the fight he was going to be able to afford to eat decently for the next few weeks, if he budgeted himself. Might even be able to buy his sister something and do things with his friends if he ate cheap. It was a good feeling.

"You know that's not what I was hoping for when I said we should go wild, but I'll be damned if it didn't feel good." Yusuke cracked his bruised knuckles with a grin. "What's next?"

"I chose the last thing, it's your turn." Hiei grinned ahead of them. "That's only fair, right?"

Yusuke laughed and pulled Hiei to his side by his shoulder before moving his hand up to tousle the other boy's hair. Hiei batted his hand away, growling at him. But the light didn't die in his eyes. For the first time in months he felt like himself.


	17. Ornament

Kuwabara looked at the small charm cupped in his palm, it's little black string looped over one of his fingers. An adorable yellow cat with white socks and pink paws. It had cute little pink bows above both it's ears. Just a silly ornamental bobble. His fingers closed around it as he chewed the inside of his cheek.

It seemed really stupid to be embarrassed to talk to someone he saw almost everyday.

Finding his feet he threw his school bag over his shoulder, tugged on the color of his magenta uniform top and made his way out the door. Yukina had already left for the day as she wanted to buy a snack for Hiei from a bakery on the way. This meant he showed up to school on his own. Kurama was off tending to the greenhouse, Hiei wasn't anywhere to be seen so he stood alone on the lawn waiting for the right moment to wander to his locker before class. It was Tuesday, tutoring day.

The cat charm sat heavy in his pocket through all of his classes and lunch, waiting until the final bell rang to dismiss everyone for the day. Breathing out slowly, he stood by the doors, grip tight around the strap of his bag.

"Kazuma, are you ready?" Kuya strode over to him with a million-watt smile.

Ever since his experience in the library she had met him by the door to walk with him to any spot they chose for studying. They'd gone back to the library a few times, sat closer to the doors, arrived and left together. Sometimes they went to cafes. Once she'd even come to his home. It had made him remember every grain of dirt he hadn't cleaned. He'd made her wait outside for a second so he could run around and clean up as quickly as possible. That had never happened with any of his other friends before.

That's when he realized that maybe, Kuya wasn't like his other friends.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Just waiting on you." He offered her a goofy grin to cover his queasiness. "I was thinking, it's pretty nice outside. Maybe we could work in the park today."

"Oh, that's a great idea. I want to enjoy the weather while it lasts." She bobbed her head. "Do you mind if we stop somewhere to grab drinks? I've been craving a melon soda like crazy today."

He filed that detail away for later use. "Yeah, of course. We should get something to snack on too."

They stopped at a convenience store and when it came to pay he cut her off at the register to buy both their hauls. It wasn't much, really. And she'd been buying him treats and drinks for months at least. He pushed the change back in his pocket and felt the cat charm brush his fingers.

The park was sparsely populated by families and couples and people just doing whatever people do when it's warm and the air is gentle. They chose a picnic table and sat across from one another. Kuwabara set the plastic bag of their drinks and snacks on the wooden surface and allowed his bag to hit the bench. Today felt so precarious. He was almost hoping it would just end. What if he was being stupid? It had happened before.

"You look distracted. Did something happen today?" Kuya asked as she popped open her soda with her attention centered on her companion.

"Huh? Oh, not really." Kuwabara rubbed his neck. "I have a weird question for you."

"Okay." She nodded and set her can on the tabletop. "Hit me with it."

"Girls like cats, right?" He blinked then blushed as the words tricked him. He'd meant to ask if _she_ liked cats, not girls in general. Her head tipped to the side and her scarlet hair caught in the slight breeze, blowing her high ponytail forward over her shoulder.

"I suppose it depends on the girl." She answered thoughtfully. "I think cats are cute, especially kittens. I like their little toes and their ears and their pretty graceful. My sister is more of a dog person though. I've seen her shed actual tears over how adorable a puppy was once."

He perked up at her confession. "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. She doesn't let it show much but she's actually pretty soft." Kuya laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"No, I mean, you like cats." Kuwabara shook his head. He'd forgotten she'd mentioned her sister at all, he'd been so fixated on the way she said she liked kittens and their toes. He produced the charm from his pocket and extended it to her, allowing it to dangle with the loop pinched between his thumb and forefinger. "I won this the other day and I was wondering if you'd want it."

"Really?" Her eyes brightened as they fixated on the cute little yellow trinket. "Are you sure? You won it after all. I wouldn't want to just take your trophy."

"No it's okay. I sort of won it to give it you." He admitted. "When I saw it I thought it looked like something you'd like."

She stared at him then, and he blushed under her scrutiny. Her eyes were the color of honey: warm, golden, and sweet. But sometimes, just sometimes, they were sharp and intense.

"You won it to give to me?" She asked him.

He nodded, not sure how she'd react.

Then her face lit up with a smile he'd never seen on her before. It was like watching a sunset and the stars shine all at once. She reached over and her fingertips brushed over his skin as she gently took the charm. Then he watched as she immediately tied it around the zipper pulley on her bag.

"Thank you Kazuma, I love it." She told him softly, touching it gently.

"I'm glad." He responded, all the tension and concern falling out his bones.

"Are you ready to study?" She smoothed her hands over her skirt and faced him again. Even though she made a show of taking a sip of her soda he caught the blush that had graced her cheeks.

He waited a beat to answer her just so he could see it for a second longer. Then finally he gave the moment up. "Yeah, I'm ready."


	18. Misfit

Shinpi stared over the quad from a second floor window, focused in particular on the trio of boys lounging around one of the picnic tables. Hiei sitting on the top leaning back on his hands, Kuwabara talking about something that required him to gesture wildly with his hands, and Kurama who sat facing Hiei and Kuwabara with a book open on the tabletop. Chin on her palm she watched them do what teenage boys do which often was nothing important. A smile pulled her lips up to the side.

What a strange feeling.

Kurama and Hiei exchanged a look and then both of them said something to Kuwabara that had the tallest of them on his feet, likely shouting as he was prone to doing. Fingers threaded through red hair as Kurama fussed over his locks then pushed them away from his face. Even from her perch she could see his smile. Her hand moved from her chin to hold her cheek.

Hiei's head tipped back as he laughed, his eyes cutting to his boisterous friend. With a hand on Kuwabara's face he pushed him back then laughed again. The wind caught his unbuttoned uniform top, fluttering it open to reveal the weathered muscle shirt underneath. Her stomach grew warm, her tongue wetting her lips.

This was an entirely new sort of dilemma for her.

She'd always been sure of herself. Always known what she wanted and hunted for it with gusto. There just some things she had never questioned.

Boy was she questioning them now.

She hadn't worked up the nerve to speak to either of them outside of class. It was the beginning of third year and Kuya had managed to lure Kuwabara into a nice friendship coupled with tutoring sessions. But her? Oh, she was too busy being a coward to even manage to speak to even one of the boys she had a developed feelings for in the way one had feelings for someone they hardly knew.

"You should join us." Kuya interrupted her spying. Shinpi glanced to the side as her sister back to lean backward against the windowsill. "Everyone is going to be there. They're all really nice, I think you'd like them."

"As much as I appreciate a good pity invite I'm going to have to pass." Shinpi shook her head and turned around to pretend she hadn't just been watching her two crushes. The last thing she wanted for her sister to know about it. She would start hounding her for answers to questions like, which one did she like more. Questions Shinpi wasn't rightly ready or able to answer. Not that it mattered.

The acid in her stomach chaffed the lining. It was a bitter feeling.

"It's not a pity invite." Kuya snorted at her, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think you'd like them, you know. Like, as people."

"I'm not worried about if I'd like them." Shinpi's voice grew quiet as she studied her shoes. "It's better that you have your own friends, Ku. It's better if I'm involved as little as possible."

"They aren't like the kids at our old school. They're really nice." Kuya offered, frowning.

"Everyone is nice to you." Shinpi reminded her gently. "It's fine. I already told Kin we'd watch some movie he wanted to see tonight. Then we're getting ice cream with Hai. A little family time."

"All you ever get is family time." Kuya told her with a little sternness entering her tone. "You need to start over and meet people. Hang out. Make friends."

"You sound like dad." Shinpi pushed away from the window altogether to pace over to her desk where her lunch remained uneaten.

"Well, he has a point."

"It's not worth it. I'll make friends in college where no one knows who I am or who my parents are or what crimes I may or may not have committed in my youth." She toyed with her bento, not feeling any desire to dig into it. Hayato was a good enough cook, she just wasn't hungry anymore. "Besides, I've made a few friends. Loosely."

"You mean Urameshi." Kuya stated as fact. "One person in the whole city. How often do you two even see each other? He'll be there with us, by the way."

"Kuya, I don't want to go." Shinpi stared at her, no longer in the mood to entertain the conversation.

"Why not?" Kuya demanded, equally annoyed. "Just give me one good reason other than our little brother. One good reason, Hichi. Just one."

"Because they won't like me!" She raised her voice then quickly lowered it to continue. "They won't like me and then they won't like you anymore, Ku. Okay? So leave it alone and go have fun with your friends."

"They'll like you." Kuya stepped toward her with concern.

"No. They won't. If I've learned anything about myself recently it's that." Shinpi sighed, then shrugged as she hugged her middle. "It's fine. I'm just going to ride out high school as the misfit. The girl who no one really knows, but who is nice enough in class. I'll have my moment in college. That's what I'm banking on."

"You're not a misfit. Not here." Kuya reached over and pulled her sister in a hug. "I wish you'd just let people get to know you. Then they'd all realize who wonderful you are."

"You have to say that, we have almost identical DNA." She hugged her sister back.


	19. Sling

The whispers were excruciatingly loud even for their quiet hum. Kuya felt her cheeks burn, hidden by the hair around her face as she tipped her chin down. The school grounds were alive with gossip. She could feel the way people looked at her as they leaned toward one another, hushed conversations stopping whenever she walked too close.

Was this what it felt like?

Was this what her sister endured all those weeks at their last school when their fates had hung in the air? When the story was only half told? People had supplied their own endings. They had drawn lines and connected dots. She'd seen the way they had looked at her sister. She'd heard that awful song of a hundred voices struggling to keep their wrong ideas quiet. She hadn't said anything.

She hadn't known what it felt like.

"Secrets don't make friends." Shinpi's voice rose beside her, and it made Kuya glance toward her sister. She stood tall, shoulders back and chin raised so she could cut her eyes to a group of particularly interested girls. "If you have something to say to my sister you should say it. No need to be shy. She'd welcome all kind words."

The girls stopped talking, as did everyone around them.

Kuya couldn't take her eyes off her sister who lowered her chin to level the girls with a particularly keen glare. A light shone in her eyes that cut through everything else. It silenced the voices and shuttered the looks.

"Unless, your words weren't meant to be kind." Shinpi never diluted her gaze or her voice. She let both resonate with untold promises and unspoken threats.

"No we were just wondering what happened, that's all." One of the girls curled their hand against their collarbone, speaking softly. "We didn't meant to be rude."

Blue eyes left her to meet Kuya's. Whatever showed on her face spared the girl from Shinpi's temper.

"It's nothing really. Just an accident." Kuya spoke loud enough to be heard. "There's no reason for anyone to worry, the sprain will heal soon."

Shinpi offered a casual smile then a subtle wink to her sister, continuing toward their lockers while carrying both their bags. Kuya followed, rolling her shoulder as she still hadn't adjusted to the feel of the sling that cradled her arm. After Keiko and Yukina had rushed her to a clinic she'd discovered that thankfully her wrist wasn't broken, just sprained. She still had to be cautious so they'd strung her up in a sling to prevent her from being tempted to use the appendage at all.

"How do you do that?" Kuya asked quietly.

"Do what?" She wondered. "Is your sling not sitting right? I can adjust it for you."

"No, it's not that. How do you talk like that. You've always been able to do it. You just…you stand up for people so easily." Kuya wrung the white strap of her sling.

"I don't know. I guess I just, I can't stand to see people deal with stupid shit." Shinpi shrugged, placing their things in their individual lockers. "When I see someone is being made uncomfortable, I want to stop it."

"I'm sorry." Kuya told her. "I'm sorry that I never stood up-"

"You always stood up for me in your own ways. Just continuing to be there. Holding my hand. Hell, I've seen the way you look at people sometimes. We're both strong women, we just show it in different ways." Shinpi closed their lockers and then tossed a hapless grin to Kuya, who caught it with only a tender smile to offer in return. "Dad chewed me out for teaching you how to punch, by the way. And I told him that I hadn't, because obviously if I had you'd have aimed for the throat and you wouldn't have hurt yourself. He tried to ground me but mom was laughing."

"I should have learned from grandfather too." Kuya sighed with disdain. "Maybe then I'd have some of your confidence."

"I'd rather yours. Confidence in your kindness and it's ability to move mountains. That's something far more valuable than physical capability."

"Liar. You like intimidating people with a look."

"That is true, actually. I do." Shinpi grinned at her as they walked the halls. "But your skill is good too."

"Thanks." Kuya deadpanned. "I'll be sure to out kindness the next person who talks down about you."

"If that doesn't work just hit them where it hurts."

"Their pride?" Kuya wondered with a wrinkled nose.

"Their nose."


	20. Tread

"We're glad to have you. I'm sure you'll do great things here." Principal Takenaka spoke to Amon-Shinpi as she sat across his desk from him. He offered her a kind smile that crinkled the embedded creases around his eyes. The eyes of a man who smiled often, she knew. Her father thanked him for understanding, for allowing her to transfer even though second year had already begun.

He didn't say it out loud but the unspoken 'Thank you for overlooking her indiscretion' hung in the air. Kotaru patted his daughters shoulder with his good arm, relief showing in the way he regarded her.

Her tongue tasted of acid.

She had put him through too much. In fact she'd nearly ruined her entire family with her temper. He never said so, but she knew it from the weight that burdened his usually strong shoulders. That weight was lifting now and she had to keep it from crashing on him again. It should be easy. All she had to do was the exact opposite of what she'd been doing before.

The smile she offered the principal, with his warm gaze, was hollow. Practiced. Measured. She wanted to make sure he knew how much she appreciated this chance. She'd chosen this school and it was genuinely nice to be accepted. Her attention shifted to the left, where a teacher stood regarding her over his pointed nose with such an obvious look of contempt she felt the instant desire to fight him. It was rare someone invoked her wrath without even speaking. It was the way he stared, she figured. Those dark, beady eyes glaring at her while her father was in the room.

Speaking of which, her father stood to leave. He bowed and shook Takenaka's hand with the same raw sincerity he offered to everyone he met. Takani Kotaru was an open, honest man of high moral fiber.

Shame swelled up in her as she felt the divide between their characters growing. How would she ever live up to him now? How had a wretch like her come from such a wonderful person?

Rising as well she thanked the principal and bowed deeply. Then she turned and followed in her father's quiet footsteps.

"Miss Takani, a word."

Shinpi stopped and looked behind her to where the teacher stood. Akashi, he'd been called. Her expression showed nothing, not a false smile nor the glare she wanted to reveal. What a bland looking suit, she thought. Poorly tailored. A man whose station only afforded him power in moments like this, over people like her. What a pathetic existence. Still, he was her teacher now and she had to show respect. It wouldn't do to get kicked out of two schools in one year.

"Yes?" She turned to face him.

"I just wanted to say that this is a good school. We have a reputation to keep." He started, taking a few steps toward her. His eyes didn't narrow, but the way his teeth showed in his smile she knew intrinsically this was a threat from him. "You better tread carefully."

"Apologies, was I walking too loud?" Shinpi raised a singular eyebrow despite herself. "I'll work on it."

"You'd best keep yourself in check, young lady." He placed a hand on her shoulder and unlike her father's comforting grip it instantly made her wish to take a shower. She looked at his fingers. "A delinquent like you has no place in this institution and at the first show of your real face I'll make sure you're handled appropriately."

"I'm so sorry, I've already forgotten your name sir." She reached up and pressed her thumb to the tendon in his wrist so that his hold on her ended as quickly as it began.

"Impudent!" He yanked back from her.

"I'll work on that too." She drew an x over her heart. "Cross my heart. I don't want you to worry sir. I'll do my very best to uphold the image of this fine school. I might even start by following your example."

She turned on heel at the sound of her name echoing the hall from the foyer, her father calling for her. She left without a goodbye or dismissal. Tread softly he said. No, threatened. One teacher was not the whole school, but he might still be enough to cause her unwanted issues. Or worse, issues for her sister. If he spoke to Kuya the way he spoke to her, if he put hands on her…

Her fist clenched at the thought of it.

She'd kill him if he even tried.


	21. Treasure

Yukina and Hiei hadn't received much in the wake of their mother's death. She didn't like to call it suicide because it felt wrong to say such a thing. It was truly a death, one that had crept up on them all. One that came just as suddenly as any other. They'd been regular thirteen year olds one minute and the next…

They were orphans.

After the sirens, the hospital, and the police station came the ugly truth. There was no will to dictate what little estate she'd held to her name. No guidance on how to handle her children. Their mother was gone and the necklaces she had given them as children were the only proof she had ever existed. Yukina had never been able to forget the image of her brother, usually so proud and rough, shaking in the seat next to her so pale she feared he'd faint, his knuckles ashen with tension as he desperately clung to the unique pearl he'd been gifted. He'd been the one to find her. He'd been the one to try to help. In his mind, he was the one who had failed.

She'd never been able to convince him otherwise.

After a phone call and a few hours of waiting, the aunts came to take Yukina back with them and they left Hiei to the state. Yukina had been bitter about that choice as soon as it was made.

Hiei hadn't argued or yelled or done any of the things she'd hoped he would do. He was a shell of himself.

"You should go with them. They're family. They're safe." He told her, cupping her cheek before pressing his forehead to hers. "That's all that matters."

"Where will you go?" She demanded. "Hiei, where will you go? What if they send you away!"

"I'll be close." He promised.

"You're going to let them take me?" She cried, unable to stop the tears. "You're going to let them take me away."

"Yukina, it's okay." Hiei looked to the severe women waiting for the moment to end. "The chances of us being placed together in the system are low. At least this way I'll know where you are."

She'd hated living with her aunts. Despised it. They were stern, cold women who didn't dote or smile. They disparaged her brother and her mother. They'd said awful things, like that Hiei had ruined her. That he was the reason she'd died. Even if he'd asked, they wouldn't have let him come to stay with them. Yukina hated living in that house and she slowly grew to hate the women who lived there as well.

"I snuck out. I wanted to prove I could find you." Hiei sat on her windowsill without a smile as she sat on her bed. "It's that bad?"

"It's awful. I can't stand it. I'd rather sleep on the sidewalk." She sighed, brushing out her hair.

"It's a house. With a roof and walls and a bed. It has heat and you get to eat." He protested with a flat expression.

"They hate you." She glared at him.

"That doesn't bother me." He shrugged before crossing his arms.

"Well, it should! Why doesn't it? How can you tolerate it?" She demanded quietly, scared that they'd be found out.

"Because I don't care about them or their opinions. They're just people. The city is full of them. The only iota of meaning they hold to me is because they are taking care of you." He tilted his head. "This is temporary. A means to an end."

"To what end?" She wondered.

"I don't know. We'll find one. Maybe we get a place to live together once we're adults. Then you don't have to deal with this house and I don't have to worry about you." Hiei stilled, eyes flashing wide as a creak outside Yukina's door announced another presence.

She whipped her head toward the sound. Her heart hammered as the door opened. One of her aunts looked into the room with a frown, as usual. Yukina, in a moment of panic glanced toward where her brother had been standing. Except he was gone. The curtains blew in the breeze of the open window.

Ultimately, she hadn't been able to take it. She ran away. That, and her assertions that the aunts better stop talking ill of her brother, had apparently been the last straw. Like a flip of a switch, she'd been kicked out. Luckily the Kuwabaras were there to catch her. Hiei had urged them to accept her. She was lucky he had such caring friends. The Kuwabaras lived in a warm home, full of love and strange affection. Shizuru never complained about sharing a room with her. In fact the older sister readily agreed, expressing gratitude she'd have a girl around for a change. Kazuma had tried to get Hiei to come too, but he'd rejected the offer.

Too many people, he'd claimed.

Yukina suspected he just didn't want to be a bother. While he acted gruff, portraying himself as a hard soul who didn't care about anything she knew differently. He worried just as much as anyone. He craved praise and affection. She also knew he'd never ask for it. They were both headstrong that way.

Initially, still rocking in the aftermath of her mother's absence, Yukina had been angry. Angry that their mother hadn't made a plan for them. Angry that she hadn't thought to draft a will that might at least give them something to live on. Angry that they were left alone to face the world without her guidance. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

"It doesn't matter." Hiei told her, hands in his pockets as they walked around the city to kill time together. "It's not like she had anything worth giving away."

"But-" she protested.

"Be as angry as you need to be at her, god knows I am, but don't think for a minute that we were robbed." He reached over and took her hand in his, stopping so he could pull her to face him and his sternly set mouth. "I promised her I'd take care of you so that's what I'm going to do. We were the only treasure she had, Yukina so as long as we have each other that means we came out ahead. They can take everything else, I don't fucking care."

Her fingers tightened around his and tears threatened to spill over her lashes. She released his hand only so she could throw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Hiei stiffened for a moment before putting his hand on her back then wrapping his arms around her, cheek pressed to the side of her head.

"You let them take me." She cried.

"I let them keep you safe where I could find you." He argued softly. "You're my treasure to protect now, Yukina. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you live a happy, safe life."

The tears couldn't be stopped from rolling down her cheeks as her shoulders shook. Her arms tightened around his neck. Her brother might be a brash, hard-headed, trouble maker but it didn't matter to her. She knew who he really was. When he said he'd do whatever it took he meant it. She had to make sure to work hard to be happy for him. To live a good life so he could live his own.

All she wanted was to see him as happy as he wanted to see her, because he was her treasure too.


	22. Ghost

Hiei bemoaned the space between his mouth and Shinpi's, his cheeks flushed pink as he regarded her with a lust-drunk stare. She'd pulled away too suddenly. Her fingers remained on his chest over his black tank top but like the rest of her they'd grown still. Blue eyes squinted, focused to the side as she waited for something.

"Did you hear that?" She asked him quietly after a seconds, a frown tugging at her swollen lips.

"No." He tugged at her hips to bring her closer again.

"I thought I heard footsteps." She allowed him to hold her but she didn't regain the fervor she'd had just a minute before.

"It's a school." Hiei reminded her pointedly. "Someone is probably leaving for the night."

"They were outside the door, Hiei."

"As long as they aren't in here, who cares." He sank back against the stacked crates they'd been using as a wall to press against ever since the shelves had moved to cover the actual walls. Somehow, it was always his shoulders hitting a hard surface. Maybe he could flip them around? He wondered what it was like feel her body pinned between his and a hard place. The idea of it had him licking his lips.

She hesitated and waited another second. "Maybe you're right."

"I am." He assured her, reaching up to take hold of her chin so he could direct her attention back to himself. With a smirk he moved his hand to the back of her head and pulled her back into a searing kiss. It didn't take long for her to fall back into him, hands smoothing over his chest, hips grinding against his.

Long fingers tested the skin under the hem of his undershirt, earning an expectant moan as fingertips brushed his lower stomach. Her hand moved up to his waist under his shirt, creeping higher over his ribs. His palms pressed to her back, drawing her as close as possible. He wanted more contact. More warmth. More of her. They'd been doing this for a weeks now and he'd allowed her to touch him however she wanted, really. It never got too far. They kissed, albeit passionately and hungrily. She caressed his chest, pulled at his hair, bit his lip, pressed herself against him. He held her waist, touched her back. Once he'd run his fingers up the back of her leg, causing her to gasp against his mouth.

And then he'd promptly chickened out.

Movies made it look easy to touch a girl. But it wasn't easy, not at all. The back of Hiei's mind was a constant whir of concerns. What if his palms were sweaty and she thought it was gross? What if he was too rough and she put an end to things? What if she didn't want him touching her skin? Maybe she just wanted someone to kiss, like a living doll or something. He hadn't even gone under her shirt at all, not once. His hands had never come near her chest. He wanted to touch her, desperately, but there didn't seem to be a seamless non-creepy transition. He couldn't just go for it. It was her _body_ after all. What if he groped her and she smacked him? She could say all sorts of things and honestly, everyone would believe her.

It wasn't like he was known as a gentleman or anything.

"Hiei?" She stopped again, her own cheeks flushed but what caught his attention more was the way her teeth caught her lip.

What was she suddenly so nervous about?

"I'm not pushing you too far am I?" She asked him eyes searching his face. "I don't want to cross any lines you don't want me crossing. If I'm doing something that's too much, you'll tell me right?"

"What are you talking about?" He demanded, confused.

"It's just. I don't want you thinking you have to let me touch you or anything." She expressed with hesitation, looking down.

He was surprised to discover how bashful looked on her face. Teeth worrying at her bottom lip, blush on her cheeks that was different than the flush caused by them making out, eyes averted, her shoulder rolled forward so that she was hunched, her weight shifting from foot to foot gently.

"I can slow down, if you want. I'm sorry if I've been taking liberties with you." Shinpi continued without meeting his eyes.

"Slow down?" He questioned. "Why would I want you to do that?"

"You just seem like you're taking things slow and I realized the other day that I haven't been. I didn't even ask if it was alright to touch you, I just started doing it. I'm sorry."

Hiei stared at her. When she glanced to his face the blush deepened and she looked away again. Her hands left him in the cold, retracting to push through her hair.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He told her finally, confused. "What the hell makes you think I want to slow down?"

"You don't touch me back."

His heart thudded in his chest, apparently in preparation to send his blood straight to his face because he felt his cheeks grow hot along with his ears. Fuck, this was a whole new kind of anxiety. He hadn't even considered that she _wanted_ him to touch her. He figured that if they went hot and heavy enough she'd tolerate it, but the idea that she was craving it…

The blood promptly switched direction and he tried to gather himself.

"You didn't say I could." He allowed finally, doing his best to sound in control. Like he hadn't been afraid. If he made it seem like he'd been waiting on invitation then she wouldn't know he hadn't done this before. He would sound respectful, right? That's what good guys did. They asked for permission.

That's it. That's all it was. He was just waiting for her to give the okay.

He hoped she bought it.

It was her turn to blink at him, chin rising as she straightened up. "You want me to tell you to?"

"It's not that unusual." He assured her, because he was positive it wasn't. A thought entered his head and it changed his tone to something fiercer. "Do guys normally touch you without asking?"

She seemed caught by his question, as though she didn't want to answer. Then she shrugged. "I guess I've just been around the wrong kinds of men."

"Sounds like it." He raised his eyebrows. Then he lifted his chin to smirk at her. "Though, maybe I'm not as nice as I'm playing at."

Her brows came down as she regarded him.

"Maybe part of it is just that I want you to ask me." In the moment he realized it was true. He did want her to ask him to touch her. Would she? Who knew? The idea of such a beautiful girl pressing against him, demanding he put his hands on her body…He swallowed. A blush stole over her cheeks again and it birthed a satisfaction he didn't know he could feel. "It's the only way to really know you're into it, right? If you ask me. Otherwise it's just me forcing myself on you."

"You're a new experience for me." She admitted to him and it warmed his stomach.

"Good." He spoke without thinking.

It was only fair that he offer her something new since this entire arrangement was novel to him. A few steps had her kissing him again, softly, her hand on the side of his neck. "You can touch me, Hiei."

He hummed against her lips and tugged at her shirt to pull her closer so he could deepen the kiss. He'd gotten good at that part. Then he allowed scant space between them so he could say, "That wasn't asking, Shinpi, that was telling."

The immediate wave of heat he felt wash over her made him hungry for more. He could feel it through her shirt, his hand on her clothed waist again. Looking into her eyes he decided this was a fight he was definitely willing to pick. Her throat moved as she swallowed, lips parting as her eyes met his eyes. He delighted in the swell of her pupils, the half-step closer she moved, the way she leaned over him.

"Would you please touch me?" She breathed.

Fire coursed through his veins corroding his tentative vestiges of self-restraint. Fluidly, he looped his arm around her waist and spun them so that her back pressed the crates. Hips pressed to hers he kissed her again, one hand flat against the makeshift wall, fingers curling through the diamond shaped holes for extra grip. His teeth caught her lower lip as he pulled back.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." He moved his hand slowly upwards over her stomach.

Even though she'd asked him, he still felt a nagging sense of doubt that she would actually want him to do this. Her eyes watched him with expectation so he knew he couldn't hesitate or she'd see. So he just went for it. Trying not to be overly rough, he cupped her breast and waited for a reaction. The unwelcome sound of Yusuke's voice flashed through his mind, repeating advice that at the time Hiei hadn't cared about learning. _'They're sensitive y'know? You gotta be nice to 'em or you're going to get slapped. You can't just squeeze them or anything. You gotta like, massage them.'_. Hiei absolutely hated that he was remembering the lecture, much less the pantomimed demonstration that followed, but it at least gave him something to go off of.

Plus, out of everyone in the group Yusuke was the only one with any kind of experience as far as he knew.

So he _massaged_ gently, kissing Shinpi again. The sound she made when he trailed his mouth down to her neck drove him insane. He rocked against her and she arched her back. One of her hands found his hair, as she had the habit of doing, the other arm draped over his shoulder. Switching sides of her neck, he offered some mindless sound of pleasure.

Then he stopped.

"Hiei?" She mumbled with a slight whine.

"Be quiet." He responded, which was a mistake because she immediately stiffened.

There it was, the sound of footsteps. She was right. They weren't loud, but there was no denying that they were close. He pulled away from her to watch the door. No shadow moved on the other side of it. His hand curled into a fist as he stared at the wood, waiting. Shinpi touched his shoulder but she had moved away from the crates to hover behind him. When he glanced at her, he could see the apprehension in the set of her eyebrows. He lifted a finger to his lips and she nodded. The footsteps moved away and they turned to stare at each other.

"We should go." Hiei swallowed, annoyed that his moment had been so rudely interrupted. "Just in case."

"Yeah." She readily agreed, sounding equally frustrated. "Don't forget your shirt."

He turned and grabbed his uniform top, slipping his arms back into the holes. He didn't bother buttoning it before snatching his bag from the ground.

"Idiots." He muttered aloud. "We were having a perfectly good time and some dickhead had to forget their book or something."

"I don't think that's it." The whisper of her voice had Hiei looking her over. Tension had caused her to frown at the door, brows pulled down. "I heard it earlier, remember? Someone's just pacing the halls."

"Your sister maybe?"

"No. She'd call for me." Shinpi's obvious nerves caused him to glare at the door.

"Like I said, idiots." He told her. "It's just-"

The wood of the door bowed as someone on the other side started to bang against it. The sound made Shinpi startle, jumping and immediately falling into a prepared stance, ready to fight. Hiei moved without thinking, putting himself between her and the door as it shook violently. The handle began to twist and he put his hand on it to keep it from opening. Then it stopped.

Silence flooded the room.

The handle had stopped turning but he kept his hold on it, just in case. They waited for a minute, then two, standing in the closet without moving, practically holding their breath. When no more footsteps sounded, Hiei looked back to her.

"I'm going to open the door." He warned her.

She nodded, keeping her form. Her nostrils flared and her eyes were narrowed. Hiei took an extra second to revel in the fact that her fear had dissolved so quickly into anger. Turning back to the door listened again, just in case, then through it open and snarled his way into the hall.

The decidedly _empty_ hall.

Looking around, both ways, he tried to pick out any disturbance and saw nothing.

"No one's here." He turned back to Shinpi, extending his hand to her. "Let's go."

She accepted and allowed him to pull her from the closet, closing it behind them. He led her through the hall down the stairwell and released her hand once they were safely in the foyer. Still, they both glared around them. Hiei waited to leave, even though he knew he shouldn't be there when her sister came to fetch her. This whole arrangement was meant to be a secret after all.

Voices echoed in the hall, warning of the student council's arrival.

"I should go." He kept his voice low to avoid it reverberating back to the others. Once he could see their shadows he relaxed some.

"I know this is dumb, but be careful on your way home." She told him. "You're right, it was probably just some stupid classmate or something but just in case."

"I'll be fine." He assured her with a small grin. The group was getting closer so he headed for the doors. "If I don't show up to school tomorrow just assume I died."

"That's not funny, Hiei." She hissed at him as quietly as possible but he didn't have time to respond so he fled.

Crossing the campus lawn in record time he nearly bumped into the Takani sisters' driver, a ridiculously tall man who stared at him looking thoroughly unimpressed. Hiei glared back, rolling his eyes and then booked it down the street.

Inside, Shinpi waited patiently for her sister, hands on her bag strap to keep from clenching her fists.

"You don't have to wait for me, you know. You can always just go home." Kuya smiled at her.

Shinpi nodded a greeting to Kuwabara and Yukimura. Then she turned to her sister. "I could but I probably won't."

"Are you okay?" Kuya's expression shifted into a frown. "You look tense."

"I heard some weird noises so I'm ready to go." Shinpi explained dryly, shooting the hall a dirty look. "It was like footsteps or something but no one was there."

"Maybe it's the ghost." Keiko laughed. "Yusuke was just telling us some silly story about how the school has a vengeful spirit that comes out after dark. It tries to scare people if they're still in the school apparently."

Shinpi quirked one brow upward then glanced through the glass doors behind her to note the sun had nearly disappeared completely. Darkness had begun to descend over the city, the last orange traces of light fading quickly as the moon rose to take her station in the sky.

"Maybe." Shinpi allowed, turning back to them without a hint of humor. "Let's get going before we find out for sure."


	23. Ancient

"Hey loser!" Yusuke called to Shinpi from halfway across the campus, standing beside Kurama to flip her the bird. When she returned the gesture he laughed.

"How do you two know each other again?" Kurama wondered, viscerally intrigued. His eyes were also glued to the redhead and her sister, who made their way toward the curb outside the school gates where a black car waited, tended to by the same man he'd seen retrieve her from the club. It made no sense to him that Yusuke of all people would have a connection with someone in the Takani family. They all seemed rather put together. No offense to his dear friend meant, of course. Just that, well, Yusuke wasn't the sort of boy who found himself at black tie events.

"Sorta met at Botan's office." Yusuke shrugged, casting a gleaming look toward his pal. "Why? You like her something?"

"Nothing of the sort." Kurama snorted in response, flipping his hair over his shoulder. "I'm just curious. There's not much known about her."

"That infamous Kurama curiosity." Yusuke teased him. "You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat."

"Ah, but satisfaction brought it back." Kurama brushed some lint from his knee. "As you were saying? You met at Botan's? I wonder what she was doing there."

"I don't know. Never asked. I figured from the way she was dressed it was probably an interview or something. Maybe she's interning there or something." Yusuke dug into his ear with his pinky. "Anyway, we ran into each other again a week or so later. We've been hanging out off and on ever since."

"She hangs out?" Kurama sounded surprised because he was. "I mean, I knew her sister loved to be social but Amon-Shinpi just seems…"

"Stuck up or something?" Yusuke supplied. "She is sometimes. But yeah, she hangs. We go to the arcade or the movies sometimes. Just pal around, you know? She likes the scary movies and action fliks like me. Stuff Keiko doesn't care about most of the time. Honestly, it's like having another guy friend except she can flirt her way into clubs for us."

"Weaponized femininity is a fearsome thing." Kurama declared readily. "I suppose that's something that comes easily to her."

"You saying she's hot?" Yusuke elbowed him, earning a cautioning green-eyed stare. "What's the big deal? She is man. Not that I'd go after her anything, obviously, cause Keiko's all the woman I need."

"It sounds so crude to simplify it that way." Nose wrinkled Kurama pursed his lips. "She's attractive, physically, I'll admit. My interactions with her have been rather sparse. We have a few classes together. She's competitive, it's been nice to have someone to challenge myself against. But she's also withdrawn. It's as though she doesn't want anyone to get close to her."

He didn't mention that she'd begun loitering around the greenhouse with him, helping him tend to the plants. They didn't talk a lot most of the time, but when they did it was pleasant. She had a sharp mind. He enjoyed bantering with her. She seemed to feel the same, because she smiled more often when they were alone.

Yet, whenever he got too close to her she found an excuse to leave. Her appearances were inconsistent at best.

It was mildly frustrating to be honest. For so long he'd been the one who politely distanced himself from others, who casually declined requests from anyone other than his friends. He'd been unattainable, but delicately so. Being on the receiving end of such behavior made him realize how poorly behaved he must seem. Yet, people still persisted in asking him out to do things, encouraging him to join them in their ventures. He too couldn't seem to help but try to goad Shinpi into some further social interaction.

He never accepted their requests and she never accepted his.

Annoying to the say the least.

He remembered the man who waited for her everyday outside the school gates, hiding his frown behind his palm as he leaned on his hand. Was it because of him? He seemed a far cry older than them. Surely her parents wouldn't approve of such an arrangement. He doubted they were romantically connected, but he also didn't know for sure.

"Speaking of Botan, how is that going?" Kurama asked to shift the direction of the conversation.

"It's whatever. She nags me every time I see her, but I've been keeping out of trouble." Yusuke flicked a wall of earwax to the grass. "I think my sentence is almost up though, finally. I'll never have to go into that office again."

"So long as you don't get arrested." Kurama amended with a wry smile. "Which should be quite the challenge for you."

"Hey man, not all of us can talk our way out of trouble." Yusuke stuck his tongue out at him.

"No, you happen to be more skilled at talking yourself deeper into it."

"Shut up, asshole." Yusuke grumbled, hunching forward with a sneer. "It doesn't matter anymore anyway. I'm going to get my record expunged. I already talked to someone about it. Once I'm done with my parole I can get it all cleared since I'm still a minor. Then it's clean slate and all this bullshit will be ancient history."

"That'll help your job prospects." Kurama announced with a smile.

"Nothing wrong with making ramen for a living." Yusuke shrugged, waving his hand. "Keiko's parents do it too you know."

"True. But wouldn't it be nice to be the bread winner, Yusuke? Once Keiko finishes college and gets into a career, she'll make good money. You'll end up being her slacker husband." Kurama teased him. "You should finish school and get a well-paying job."

"Hey, they call us trophy husbands these days nerd." Yusuke grinned. "Staying at home looking pretty and handling the housework sounds like a dream to me."

"You hate housework." Kurama reminded him.

"I hate working more."

"Mhmm." Kurama nodded then went back to his thoughts for a moment. "I'm curious again. I wonder what she would be doing interning for a parole officer. Does she want to go into law enforcement?"

"It probably just looks good on college applications. Keiko does all sorts of stuff to get into a good school." Yusuke explained. "It's all just extra work if you ask me. What's the point of only doing stuff to impress someone else? I think everyone needs to lighten up and have more fun."

"Not all of us aspire to be trophy spouses." Kurama grinned at him. "Some of us have to be the one's who work."

"You're telling me you'd rather go to through all this bullshit like go to school for however long to get a degree to get a job you have live and die in instead of just marrying rich and taking it easy?"

"I wouldn't know what to do with the free time."

"See, that's because you're a nerd."

"Let's discuss this again in five years. We'll compare salaries." Kurama suggested with a smirk.

"How about we compare wives instead?" Yusuke winked at him. "Assuming you can get one."

"Assuming you can keep yours." Kurama retorted with an eye roll. "I don't understand how can you already be thinking of marriage when you're so young. I can't even comprehend it. Sacrificing your spare time, your space, your autonomy for what? Sex? It doesn't seem like an even trade to me."

"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend." Yusuke placed his palm on Kurama's head. "It's about being with someone, idiot. Like. Imagine living with your best friend. You get to always have someone to talk to, to hang out with. And they already know how annoying you are so you don't have to worry about scaring them off. Like, yeah, don't get me wrong, sex is fun and all but knowing someone is always in your corner is pretty great."

Kurama nodded instead of responding. He just didn't fathom that experience. Not yet at least.

Maybe someday he'd meet someone and this feeling would be like Yusuke's criminal record.

Ancient history.


	24. Dizzy

"Just stay there. I'll make you some tea." Shinpi lowered Yusuke into a chair, which he nearly fell out of until he leaned heavily against the table to his right. He watched as two of her stripped out of her hoodie, face shield pulled down around her neck. The two Shinpi's moving made him feel nauseous so he closed his eyes.

"Thanks." He managed through clenched teeth as he tried to keep himself from feeling sick.

"You got nailed pretty hard in the side of the head." She told him as though he needed reminding. "You're lucky I was there, Yusuke. You're in no state to finish a fight."

"I finished it anyway." He reminded her.

"Sloppily."

"A wins a win."

"Drink this." She pushed a warm cup into his hand, "It'll help with your nausea."

"How'd you know?"

"You've been leaning to one side since I helped you to your feet. Your eyes are close. You look vaguely green. Your balance is off, but it'll come back. You just need to take it easy." She assured him. "If you aren't back on your feet in an hour I'll take you to the ER. Can't have you dying in here."

"Yeah, by the way, where is here?" He asked gruffly before taking a gulp of the tea she'd handed him. "Ginger?"

"It settles the stomach." She pressed a cold, wet cloth to the side of his head where she'd seen him get struck. "This is my family's greenhouse. It was already here, actually, when we came to the city. But my grandmother fell in love with it, so my grandfather bought the lot and this is where she taught us to garden. Once she got sick though, we had one built on the grounds. We moved most of the plants there so most everything in here I grew myself. I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to this place."

He opened his eyes to get a proper look at the place and was pleasantly surprised that there was only one of everything. He still felt dizzy when he moved too fast so he turned his head slow to scan over the tables and hanging baskets and crawling, reaching vines. Like Kurama's greenhouse at the school, this one was a haven of warmth. He swatted at her hand to get the dripping cloth away from him. He sipped the tea until the cup was empty.

"You and Kurama would get along, he does this sort of thing too." He told her.

"I'm aware. He's rather good at it. I've visited the campus greenhouse a few times."

"Yeah." He agreed. "Looks like you're pretty good too."

"I do my best." She tossed him a smile. "You sound like you're feeling better."

"A little." He allowed. "I think I need to chill out for a minute."

"Good call. Even if you start feeling better soon, if you begin vomiting or slurring your words or anything weird you have to get to an ER."

"Yes mom."

"Fuck you dude, I'm trying to make sure you don't die in your sleep." She lightly smacked his shoulder. "I can put you back where I found you if you want."

"I'm kidding." He assuaged. "Thanks for helping me out."

"You're welcome." She nodded, then moved away from him to hop up on the table cross from him so she could, feet swinging. "So, I heard a rumor that you think the school is haunted. What's that about?"

"What?" He blinked at her. "Oh, that bullshit story I told your sister? It's just something I heard some kid say when I was in first year before I dropped out."

"You're sure it's bullshit?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

"Why did you see one?" He widened his eyes and offered a devious grin. "I didn't take you for the type to believe in that nonsense."

"I don't. I'm just asking."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's bullshit. But I've never tested the theory." He shrugged to which she nodded. "Apparently it was a good enough story to stir you up."

"Like I said, I was just asking."

"Right, of course you were."


	25. Tasty

Hiei's glare glowed as he fixated on the idiot who had just bumped into him, upending his lunch tray to spill the contents all over him and the ground. His fury bubbled up from two places: the indignity of being covered in food for the rest of the day and for the fact this was the first time he'd bought lunch in months. The other student stammered an apology, moving to help brush the remnants of the meal off his shirt. With a snarl he told them to back off. They stumbled back, glancing to the friend they'd carelessly been conversing with instead of paying attention to their surroundings.

"Oof, was that your lunch?" Shinpi interrupted the scene, carrying her wrapped bento by the knot.

Crimson eyes narrowed on her, a sharp response threatening to break through his lips. The look she gave him dared him to do it, to insult her. He choked the barb down, tossing the empty tray onto a nearby table before brushing himself off.

"You should at least offer to buy him another meal." Shinpi turned to the other boy, eyebrow raised. "You did waste his entire lunch."

"I don't even extra money."

"Of course you don't. You'll just owe him." Shinpi's unnerving cobalt stare made the boy swallow and bob his head eagerly to accept her demand. "She turned back to Hiei as the kid scurried away. I guess today I'll just share with you. No sense in you going hungry, right?"

"I don't want your damn handouts." 

"Then starve." She sauntered over to his usual table where Kurama and Kuwabara waited, their home lunches opened before them. With some surprise they watched as Shinpi took a seat on the bench next to Kuwabara. Deftly she unwrapped her bento and opened the three tiers.

Kuya appeared through the crowd, blinked, glanced to Hiei then back to his table. With some hesitation she made her way over. Kurama's right side became her seat, allowing her to be across from Kuwabara who grinned at her and welcomed her to join them.

Hiei glared at the four of them then stomped over, posting himself on Kurama's left. His eyes dipped down to the food splayed out before Shinpi. She caught him staring and offered him a sigh. Portioning out some food, rearranging things to free up a level of the bento, she shoved a tier to him with samples from all her food. Kuya reached over and placed a sweet bun on top of the other foods, tossing him a kind smile. For a minute he considered just getting up from the table and leaving. Then he felt Kurama put a firm hand on his back.

"What a kind gesture." Kurama declared to the twins. "It looks good."

"Did you want some?" Shinpi asked, not waiting for an answer before depositing a piece of fried shrimp on top of his rice. She plucked a piece of his tamagoyaki from his box and popped it in her mouth without bothering to ask. "Delicious. Did you make that Kurama?"

"My mother did." He blinked at her then shrugged and ate the shrimp she'd given him. "Did you cook this?"

Hiei watched them eat for a second before delving, slowly, into the food he'd been given. The rice was delicious, well seasons. He devoured it and then went after the shrimp before getting to the salad. He practically inhaled the food, trying not to show how much he was enjoying it.

Kuya offered Kuwabara a piece of her salmon which he accepted before placing a piece of his pork on her rice with a grin. She laughed and informed him he had crumbs on his cheeks. Kurama offered her some of his rolled egg in exchange for a bite of her salad and like that the whole table was exchanging portions of food. Somehow Hiei ended up receiving something from everyone's lunch to the point that he actually felt full. Shinpi chuckled at the satisfied expression on his face.

"It's tasty right?" She moved her foot under the table to tap his shin with the toe of her shoe. "We worked hard on it last night. Thank god for Hai though or this would have been a disaster." 

"It's your fault for putting salt in the rice water." Kuya accused with a stare. "You know better."

"I got distracted." Shinpi sighed, sinking into her shoulders.

"You make your own lunches?" Hiei asked curiously. "I thought you'd have cooks."

"We do sometimes." The girls answered in unison. Then Kuya explained, "Only for big gatherings though. Mom and dad would prefer if we prepared our own meals so we don't get too spoiled. They normally try to make time to make dinner for us but since they're away on business at the moment it was up to us."

"I want it known that I know how to make rice." Shinpi interjected. "I'm a good cook."

"What distracted you?" Kuwabara asked her.

Her eyes moved to the side, then she huffed. "It's not important."

"She won't tell me either." Kuya threw the tail of one of the shrimp at her sister. "It's not fair. We're supposed to share everything." Her expression turned sly. "It must have been really interesting though."

"Not a battle you want to pick, Ku. Put it back." Shinpi warned her sister with an arched brow.

Her response meant something to her sister that it didn't to the boys, which became obvious when Kuya's face lit up. She muttered _I knew it, _but dropped the questions. Kurama glanced at Shinpi, studying her. She noticed him then shifted her attention away rather quickly which made him tip his head. She made the mistake of turning toward Hiei who offered her a short lived smirk. Then he reached over and plucked a stray morsel from her lunch. Her eyes narrowed.

"Enough about me and my shortcomings, lets talk about someone else." Shinpi waved her hand through the air. "I pick Kuwabara. Tell us about what's going on in your life big guy. Fascinate me."

Kuwabara launched into the recent happenings of his life, which enamored Kuya completely and allowed the attention to naturally flow away from her. Still, Shinpi couldn't help but notice that Kurama was offering her subdued smiles and Hiei's foot had moved to rest against hers under the table where no one could see.


	26. Dark

"You can crash with me tonight if you want. Mom's on another bender so it's not like she'd even notice." Yusuke walked with his hands in his pockets, eyes ahead of him.

Hiei knew he was trying not to look at him. He knew it because Yusuke only focused that far in the distance when he was struggling not to look at the person next to him. And he was centering his attention on the horizon for the specific reason of trying to appear as casual as possible. Except he wasn't, not at all. The conversation's turn had been abrupt and unwelcome.

"Invite your girlfriend over if you're feeling lonely." Hiei suggested dryly, glaring forward.

"Just come over man." Yusuke finally shirked off the act and rolled his head to his friend. "You being stubborn about this shit is getting old."

"No one is asking any of you to keep hounding me. I'm fine on my own." Hiei snapped back at him. "If you're all feeling annoyed about it, then just stop."

"What kind of assholes would we be if we just stopped? You're living on the streets, Hiei. It's bullshit. Why are you doing this to yourself?" Yusuke stopped to turn on him.

Hiei squared up to him, eyes narrowed. "You know, you're not the only one who thinks this shit is getting old. I've told every single one of you before, I don't want your goddamn pity. I can take care of myself."

"It's not pity man. Don't you know the difference?" Yusuke's voice started to raise. "We're worried about you!"

"Worry about someone else!" Hiei demanded with a snarl, fists at his sides. Then he shook his head and stepped back. "You know what, I don't have the fucking energy for this. I'm going to go."

"At least tell me where you're sleeping." Yusuke demanded, not moving to stop Hiei.

"No." Hiei marched away with a glower.

He made it a block before he stopped, turning over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't been followed, then he ducked through an alleyway and began to carve his way through the city's underbelly. He stepped through shadows and over refuse. He knew the way by the style of trashcans tucked against the walls of buildings, waiting to be picked up. The numbers spray painted on the sides of dumpsters were more familiar to him than streets signs. That's how he found his little alcove. The cellar of an abandoned building, accessible only through the ground level window that few would be able to squeeze through. Anyone larger than himself would get stuck. Anyone smaller likely wasn't going to even attempt entering the dirty, mildew-ridden space.

He pushed the window pane open and squeezed himself underneath, sliding inside to be greeted by the stench of decaying wood that he now associated with home. It was his safe place. Ever since he'd found this place no one had bothered him. No one stole his things. No one kicked him awake to tell him to move, brandishing weapons or flashlights and badges.

Unfortunately he'd discovered earlier that week that a "Set for Demolition" warning had been posted on the front door of the building. It wouldn't be too long and he'd be even more homeless than he currently was. Still, it wasn't something he had to deal with tonight. Tonight he could close the window, move toward his moth-eaten blanket and take a seat. He could close his eyes, embraced by the creeping darkness, and relax for a few minutes.

He'd have to find a way to semi-apologize to Yusuke. He knew his friends were worried. As frustrated as he got, he had to remember that they were just doing their best to care for him. It wasn't like he made it easy. They just didn't get it.

Why was he doing this to himself? What a stupid question.

It was for Yukina, obviously.

The foster system had him in a temporary home close-by. A placement he'd been willing to deal with. They fed him, gave him a place to sleep. The rules were simple. But one of the caregivers had struck him in the face so he'd hit them back and that had him on the streets. There had been an attempt to place him elsewhere, but the only other home willing to take him in given his behavior and record had been outside of the city.

It was too far.

So he'd refused to go. He disappeared and even now when he knew someone _might_ be looking for him, he hid away. He couldn't risk being taken. He'd promised his sister he'd be close.

There was no way he could leave Yukina to face this world, this city, this life alone. She was with the Kuwabaras, sure. They took great care of her. Even gave her an allowance. Shizuru and Kazuma made sure she was safe, loved. He couldn't be happier about how that had worked out. Sure, he disliked that his friend wanted to date his siter, but otherwise it was perfect.

Yusuke's house was too tumultuous.

Kurama's was full.

He could spend the night time to time, but too often would raise questions. Shiori took great care of him given half the chance and he actually quite liked her. But he couldn't put the responsibility or burden of himself onto her and her new family.

This was the only way, he'd determined. Being homeless meant he could be as close as possible in case Yukina needed him. He could continue going to the same school as her. He could stay near his friends.

The people in his life were about all he had and he wasn't about to give them up for something as stupid as a real bed.


	27. Coat

Hiei's eyebrow began to twitch as he tried not to snap at Kuwabara for rubbing his shoulder. He knew the spot wasn't going to come clean from just brushing at it. He'd tried. "Can you fucking quit doing that?"

Kuwabara clicked his tongue.

Hiei punched him in the arm with a glare.

"You should come over, you can use the washing machine." Kuwabara suggested, planting his palm against the crown of Hiei's skull. He offered a squeeze both meant to be a warning and a comfort. "Yukina is out with Kuya and Keiko. Sis is at work. No one will see you."

"Fine." Hiei slapped his hand away. "But only because Kurama's family had plans so I can't use theirs."

The Kuwabaras' apartment was pretty nice, in Hiei's opinion. Nicer than the one he'd shared with his sister and mother, at least. It had three bedrooms, a nice balcony, a stove _and _microwave, and of course a washer and dryer. The cabinets and fridge always had food in them, enough to share without pause which Kuwabara offered up immediately upon crossing the threshold. Without even waiting for Hiei to answer he headed to the refrigerator and pulled out two sodas.

Hiei took his shoes off carefully because he'd begun to wear our the inside of the heel and he wanted to avoid aggravating his growing blister. He needed to buy an adhesive pad or something, he figured. Sliding his jacket off his arms he rifled through the pockets to make sure he wasn't about to wash anything important. Then he pulled the other bits of clothes he owned from his backpack deciding then was as good a time as any to wash them all.

"I'll let you borrow something so you can wash your uniform too." Kuwabara hurried off to his bedroom to retrieve some handmedowns.

Hiei didn't wait, he made his way to the washer and opened the lid to drop his clothes inside without ceremony. As water began to fill the drum Kuwabara returned, tossing him a wadded up outfit that he took with him into the bathroom so he could change. He normally wouldn't have cared about stripping in front of his friends but he needed to wash his underwear and also he'd been in another fight recently, which had left a long scrape on one of his sides. He didn't want to deal with the questions seeing it might raise. Clothed in the too-large gym shorts and t-shirt lent to him, he left the bathroom. Returning to throw his socks and underwear into the water, he added the laundry soap, closed the door and waited for the process to begin.

"Yusuke said he talked to you." Kuwabara spoke into his can of soda, sipping it.

"Yusuke's always talking about something." Hiei hedged, leaving Kuwabara in the hallway to fetch his own soda from the kitchen counter where it waited, cold to the touch. His large friend followed him.

"I know you don't like hearing it, but we're worried about you."

Hiei popped the top of his can and let the sound of the contents fizzing fill the air instead of any verbal response from him.

"Don't be like that." Kuwabara whined. "I'm just trying to say-"

"You're right, I don't like hearing it." Hiei didn't look at him, instead choosing to fixate on his beverage. "I don't like knowing it. I wish you'd all just stop already. It's not going to change anything. All any of you are doing is stressing yourselves and each other out over something no one can change."

"You could try to get back into a home." Kuwabara presented the idea carefully, as though it were something fragile.

"Not an option." Hiei denied him immediately. "It would take me too far away."

"You could commute to school." He pressed.

"It's not about school. Don't any of you get that? I don't care about something as stupid as high school." Hiei finally turned to face his friend, offering a glare. "I'm only staying in school because Yukina asked me to. Because I want to get a decent job. If it weren't for those two things I'd be out of there so fast."

"Yukina worries too." Kuwabara wrinkled is nose. When Hiei's eyes widened, pupils shrinking in anger he quickly amended, "She doesn't know man, she just worries about you in general. She wants you to be happy and safe."

"That's not her job." Hiei told him curtly. "Tell her it isn't her job to worry about me."

"She's your sister, Hiei. She's going to worry no matter what."

"This is why I can't go anywhere else. If I do she's going to try to follow me, you know. I have to stick around here, for her. To make sure she's safe. To make sure she's staying at a good school and not doing something stupid like ruining her life just to be near me." Hiei's tirade ended with a swallow, his grip on his can so tight the aluminum made a sound of protest. He once again diverted his attention to the drink. "I promised I'd look after her. If I leave to take care of myself then where will that leave Yukina?"

"So you're going to stay homeless just so you can watch out for her?" Kuwabara rubbed his neck and offered a pout. "Man, Hiei you really know how to throw curve balls. I thought you were just being stubborn about not asking for help. But you gotta take care of yourself. What would she do if she lost you?"

"She's live." Hiei sounded so sure, no hesitation in his answer. "She has you and Keiko and the others. She'd make it through. I don't think I'd be that strong without her. I need her to live her best life or what was all of this for?"

"I hate when you're a good guy, you know." Kuwabara teased him, ruffling Hiei's hair.

"Shut up. Stop touching me." Hiei smirked despite his words, his glare more playful than ruthless. "Anyway, I've noticed you haven't been talking my ear off about how cute my sister is. Did you finally realize you aren't good enough for her and give up?"

"I mean, kinda, actually." Kuwabara retracted his hand, a blush stealing over his cheeks. "It's not that I think I'm not good enough though. It's just, I realize she doesn't feel the same way and now I'm kinda glad because I have a crush on someone else."

"That was fast." Hiei deadpanned. "If you pulled this while dating my sister I'd have killed you."

"I still feel kinda bad even though we weren't dating." He admitted, hunching slightly. "She's still super sweet and pretty and stuff, but like, this other girl is those things too. There's something else though."

"Gross. I don't want to know." Hiei joked, shoving Kuwabara's arm. "Look at your dumb face. You're lovesick over this girl. You're like a ricochet, Kuwabara, bouncing from one chick to the next. Maybe this time you'll actually land a date."

"Maybe." Kuwabara blushed deeper. "I haven't had the courage to ask though. If I wasn't good enough for Yukina I'm definitely not good enough for _her_. I doubt she even likes me back."

"Won't know until you go for it." Hiei advised before crushing his empty can with a feral grin. "Sometimes you just have to throw the first punch."

"What would you even know about girls?" The carrot top demanded with a glare. "It's not like you've ever dated."

"Yeah, but that's my choice not theirs." Hiei boasted, chest puffing. "Stop worrying so much. Either she'll say yes or no. That's it. If she says no, then whatever, she wasn't worth the time. But there's still that chance that she'll say yes."

"If she says no then she won't want me around anymore."

"Who wants you around to begin with?"

"Shut up, Hiei."

"Ask her out, idiot."


	28. Ride

"Seriously?" Shinpi whispered harshly to Kuya, grabbing her by the wrist to slow their progress into the train car. Along with the rest of the students they boarded their ride for their annual school trip. "You said-"

"I said we'd sit together. I never said we'd be alone." Kuya cut her off with a grin. "It would be rude to turn around now, Hichi. They're looking at us."

Shinpi inhaled sharply then released her sister, expression neutral as she followed in her twins wake toward the gathering of their fellow students. Hiei, Kurama, Kuwbara, Keiko and Yukina greeted them in the back of the car, occupying two bench seats that faced each other. Doing a quick sweep of the space, Shinpi dared to smile slightly.

"Looks like there's just enough room for you." She declared to her sister. "It might get cramped with the both of us. I should find another seat."

Kuya shot her a look.

"Nonsense, we're all friends." Kurama interjected with a soft smile. "There's more than enough room."

"See?" Kuya assured Shinpi, but it felt like a dare because it was one.

Their standoff ended when Hiei shifted down to create a gap between himself and Kurama just large enough for one of the girls to take. Kuwabara sat to Kurama's left and he also adjusted so there was more room. Kuya bounced over to take the spot next to Keiko who was flanked by Yukina on her other side. Shinpi hesitantly squeezed into the space specially made for her, placing her bag on the floor between her feet. She pulled a laptop out along with her earbuds and set them in her lap as they all waited for the rest of the students to file into the train. The others around her flowed into a seamless, easy conversation and her teeth began worrying at the inside of cheek and lip.

Just as she began to unravel her headphones Keiko moved the attention onto her. "It's really great that we're all finally hanging out together Amon-Shinpi. I'm surprised we haven't before."

"It is surprising isn't it?" Kuya nodded.

Shinpi stared calmly at her sister before sliding her eyes to Keiko. "Thank you, I appreciate that. I'm sure it'll be a blast."

"It is rather nice." Kurama admitted from her side. "It's rare to see you outside of school. It'll be a pleasure to get to know you better."

Hiei leaned forward slightly to eye Kurama around Shinpi, who was doing her best to not be awkward. "Since when do you care about getting to know people?"

"Are you saying you aren't going to be enjoying the company of our newest friend, Hiei?" Kurama asked him with a sly edge to his tone.

Hiei's eyes narrowed. Kurama smiled. Shinpi wished she could fake an illness to get out of this.

"How long is this trip?" Shinpi asked even though she knew the answer.

"A few hours." Yukina supplied gently.

"I arranged for us girls to be in the same room." Kuya announced with a glowing smile. "So we'll be able to spend tons of time together! I'm excited for it."

"I think it's really cool that we can all hang out somewhere new together. I mean, I know it's for school still but it's going to be fun." Kuwabara voiced.

Shinpi nodded and smiled for him, because it's what she was supposed to do. That's how she maintained herself for the most part as the train lurched into motion. Once the conversation divided into factions, Keiko and Kuya immersed in some discussion about food with Yukina, Kuwabara delving into homework studiously, Shinpi allowed herself to put in her headphones and open her computer to watch the movie she'd queued. It wasn't rude if everyone was doing their own thing, she decided. Some time passed before she felt an arm on the back of her seat, Kurama angling himself toward her in a way that meant she couldn't help but see him in the corner of her vision. Pulling a headphone out she turned her face to eye him.

"I was trying to see what you're watching." He explained, eyes moving from the screen in her lap to meet her gaze.

She swallowed, more than aware that she was squished between him and Hiei and now he was practically pressed against her intentionally. This was going to be a hellishly long trip. She might not survive.

"It's a movie." She told him.

"I can see that." He smirked. "What's it about?"

"A bunch of kids being sacrificed to the save the world. It's one of those meta-type horror movies, where it plays on the known tropes and exploits them. A little humorous too, at times." She explained before pulling out the other headphone. Hiei leaned toward her on the other side, eying the screen with interest then. She glanced at him too. "I like horror movies. I like movies in general actually, but particularly horror and suspense. I enjoy watching and rewatching films to pinpoint themes, try to pick out the foreshadowing. The music, the scenery, the minor details that amount to so much, it's all so-"

Shinpi stopped talking, realizing that too many people were looking at her with interest in their little group. Hiei and Kurama in particular seemed to enthralled in her rant.

"Sorry, I'm talking too much." She fidgeted in her seat, worrying at her lip.

"No, continue." Kurama urged. "I'd like to hear more."

She shook her head. "It's fine. Anyway, if you two are that interested I can just start it from the beginning. I've seen a dozen times so it's not like it'll bother me. I should have brought a headphone splitter but I didn't think I'd be sharing with anyone."

"Use mine." Kuya produced the y-jack from her bag along with a pair of headphones, tossing them to her sister. "Can't fill the cabin with screams."

"Thanks." Shinpi nodded, setting everything up so that both Hiei and Kurama could listen with her, each of them using only one earbud. It meant they all had to squeeze in closer together to see the screen. Kurama's arm stretched behind her head while Hiei pressed against her side.

Kurama glanced at Hiei knowingly. Hiei wasn't being exactly subtle, the ease with which he allowed himself to be so close to her revealed more than he meant, Kurama was sure. Hiei didn't sit that close to anyone intentionally, except his friends and only if pressed. Kurama noticed that Shinpi didn't particularly react to either of them and he wondered if that was because she didn't care about her position or if she was just schooling herself. Again, Kurama was struck with the guilt of intruding on his friend's potential romance. Hiei had never openly admitted to a crush, nor displayed any semblance of one before. He knew, in his heart, that he shouldn't be trying to get Shinpi to pay attention to him. If he were a better friend he'd push her toward Hiei, backing away so that they could have a good time.

As it turned out, he didn't particularly feel like doing that. He didn't want to sabotage his friend, not by any means. They should discuss it at some point so their intentions were clear. If Hiei admitted he had feelings for Shinpi, and that he wanted to pursue them Kurama was sure he'd do the right thing and give up. If Hiei didn't however…

He moved a little closer to her, eyes on the screen as his thoughts eroded.


	29. Injured

Kuya stopped in her stride recognizing the unique aqua colored ponytail tied up with a crimson bow. With a tilt of her head so called over to Yukina who was crouched on the sidewalk, facing a wall. "Are you alright, Yukina?"

"Oh, Kuya." Yukina raised her face, wide scarlet eyes glistening with concern.

Instinct kicked in and the redhead rushed over to Yukina's side, alarmed by her expression. Once she was closer it was easy to determine what caused the look. A bird lay on the ground, one wing bent at a particularly odd angle. It made soft sounds. Kuya sank down into a crouch as well, brows pulling toward her nose as she reasoned out the poor thing's condition.

"It's hurt." Yukina told her sadly.

"It must have flown into the wall." Kuya agreed looking up to see if she could spot a window that may have attracted it. Nothing tugged at her attention so she pursed her lips. Then, delicately, she scooped the struggling creature into her hands so she could cradle it to her chest. "I have an idea."

Yukina shot to her feet, resolute. "Thank you for helping. I couldn't decide what to do. I was sure if I took it to a vet, they'd put it down."

"That's why we aren't going to a vet. We're calling a wildlife rehabilitation center." Kuya pulled her phone from her pocket and thumbed through her contacts with one hand, selected a number and hit call. Bringing the device to her ear she waited before, "Hey Hai, I have a favor to ask. Could you pick me up early? Yukina and I found an injured bird and I want to take it to a rehabilitation center so that we know it'll be well cared for. Right. Um. No, I don't know where one is. No idea how far away it might be. What else was I supposed to do? Thank you."

She shoved the phone back into her satchel purse and tossed Yukina a confident smile.

"Hai is going to look into the closest center and drive us there." She announced.

"Who is Hai?" Crimson eyes blinked with open curiosity.

"Oh! Right. He's our driver." Kuya explained. "He's also sort of the family bodyguard, but we've only needed him to fulfill that role once. He's pretty much family himself honestly."

"Oh, the dark haired man. I've seen him." She bobbed her head. "It must be strange, being part of a family that needs a bodyguard."

"It can be. Mostly it's okay though."

"Thank you again. I was tempted to bring the little thing back home with me, but Kazuma hates seeing animals in distress and I don't know what any of us would have done if we'd failed to help it heal."

"You're a good person, Yukina." Kuya offered her a smile. "I'm glad I ran into you."


	30. Catch

Kurama lounged on the grass of the campus lawn, eyes closed as his backpack pillowed his head. The sunlight warmed his skin and he basked in it along with the gentle breeze. A perfectly wonderful day. He opened his eyes with a lazy smile, sitting up to stretch his arms over his head. As he stretched, he scanned the grounds and discovered Amon-Shinpi reading a book a little distance away. If she'd seen him, she'd made no attempt to say anything. He wondered if she wanted to be alone or if she'd just been respecting his cat nap. He waffled for a moment before he rolled to his feet, snatching his bag from the ground so that he could approach her.

"It's a lovely day, hm?" Kurama asked as he came to stand a little to the side of Shinpi.

She looked up from her book with a soft smile that hit him in the chest. "Yes, it is."

He found himself hesitant to say more, not sure which way to push the conversation. Standing there felt awkward, so he hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder. What a strange feeling, he decided, being uncomfortable to talk to someone.

"You look antsy." She commented lightly, closing her novel and setting it to the side. "Did you sun bath not relax you?"

"Ah, so you did see me." He nodded, head tipping to the side to spill his hair over his shoulder. "You could have said hello."

"And rouse you from your nap? How rude do you think I am." She put her hands behind her and leaned back on them to toss him a cheeky smile. Then she put her feet under her and rose to standing. "What has you so tense?"

"Am I tense?" Kurama wondered, studying her.

"Are you?" She asked in return.

"I suppose, maybe a little. I don't quite know why." He admitted.

"I thought so." Shinpi stepped closer to him and reached over, slipping her fingers under the strap of his backpack to slide it down his arm to the ground. He didn't protest the action, instead allowing his curiosity to make him more pliable. Standing too close to him, she explained "You need to do something to relieve that tension. Get it out of your system."

Kurama swallowed, refusing to look at her mouth. It was a true testament to his self control. If she thought he was tense before, he probably looked absolutely rigid right then. "What did you have in mind?"

"We should get your blood flowing." She suggested, her hand coming to rest on his chest. He stopped breathing for a second, completely caught and at her mercy. He didn't know what to do. It was an unwelcome feeling. Then she shoved him back so hard he had to take a step to steady himself and she was gone like a bullet from a gun. A safe distance from him she spun and threw her arms open, her hair flaring out around. "Come on. Catch me!"

"Catch you?" He asked, stuck in the same spot.

"Yeah, chase me. Catch me. I mean, if you _can_ that is." She teased him take a few slow steps backward. "Unless you don't think you have the stamina."

Kurama inhaled, then he shook his head and shrugged out of his uniform top, tossing it onto his backpack. Then he ran after her, a little shook at the sound of delight that escaped her mouth while she raced away from him. He pivoted suddenly, nearly grabbing her but she spun away at the last second evading capture.

"You're going to have to do better than that." She warned him, cheeks flushed with happiness and effort.

Kurama could stand to see that expression about a million more times before he'd tire of it.

"I'm just warming up."

He sprung toward her again and she deftly stepped to the side. She ran, he chased and they both laughed with every missed shot he took. Despite the genuine feeling of enjoyment, Kurama also felt his determination rise. He didn't like being bested, especially not repeatedly. So he cut in front of her and when she retracted as he knew she would, he quickly changed course and managed to wrap a hand in her shirt. Shinpi offered a surprised squeal as their momentum abruptly shifted, causing her to fall backward. Kurama's grip changed in a flash, going from grasping at her shirt to his arm winding behind her back his stance widening to carry her weight. One of Shinpi's hand reached up and grabbed his other arm desperately. For a moment neither of them seemed to fully understand what was happening, they just hung in place both trying to catch their breath.

"I caught you." Kurama spoke finally, not releasing the girl in his arms. She had made no attempt to right herself. Blue eyes roved his face.

"Yeah, you did." She breathed.

"What no-" He was interrupted halfway through his question and the voices calling to him made his mood fall slightly. He moved to help Shinpi to her feet, releasing her as Yusuke once again called his name. He took a step back from Shinpi, but felt incredibly reluctant to do so. Turning to great both Yusuke and Hiei, he sighed. "Please stop being so loud."

Hiei's attention cut from Kurama to Shinpi, something in his eyes asking a question. Kurama glanced to Shinpi too, to see her studying Hiei with a peculiar look. Then she patted Kurama's shoulder and offered him a smile.

"See you in class. You know, if you moved half as fast in gym as you did out here you'd beat me more often." She sauntered passed the boys to save her own bag and book from the grass.

"Class doesn't offer me such an enticing incentive." He spoke without thinking, using that flirtatious voice that he only ever seemed to use with her.

Yusuke's face split into a devious grin, which filled Kurama with regret. Hiei raised his eyebrows then smirked which was far more worrisome. Softly, under his breathe Kurama begged, "Don't."

"Have a good day boys. Try not to get into too much trouble." Shinpi waved at them as she strolled away.

"So. What was that?" Yusuke demanded eagerly. "Changing your mind? Ready to admit you have the hots for Takani?"

"It's not like that." Kurama warned him with a glare. "Drop it."

"Yeah Yusuke, drop it." Hiei agreed though his tone was more teasing than serious. With a glint in his eye he assessed his friend. "You know, it's weird, Kurama."

"What is?"

"Seeing you blush." 

Kurama groaned and hid his face behind his hand.


	31. Ripe

Juice dripping from full lips down the curve of a chin. Eyes closed and lashes laying against soft cheek, the wet sound of teeth tearing into ripe flesh and prying it free. Those same eyes opening to slivers, cobalt gaze shifting toward shining lips pulling up at the corners in a satisfied smile.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Kurama and Hiei both shook themselves free of the spell cast over them, turning in tandem to study Kuwabara who sat between them. Neither of them admitted to the fact they'd been too distracted to hear a word he offered. His expression said he knew it anyway. He rolled his eyes and then wrinkled his nose as he looked over to the table they'd been so intently focused on. Kuya and Shinpi were sitting together, a spread of fresh peaches and an assortment of peach desserts displayed on top of their table.

Kuya laughed and Kuwabara sighed wistuflly.

Shinpi took another bite of her peach and Hiei wet his bottom lip before finding it with his teeth.

Kurama tipped his head to the side, entranced.

"Should I go over and say hi? Would that be weird? Am I making too a big a deal about it?" Kuwabara fidgeted. "There's nothing weird about it, right?"

"Nothing weird." Kurama parroted out of habit. He hadn't actually heard much. He was still too fixated on the other twin. "Go say hi."

"Yeah, I should right?" Kuwabara nodded though neither of his friends saw the motion.

Kuya picked at a peach bun, tearing off small pieces to eat as she spoke to her sister who offered more looks than words in response. Still, the golden eyed twin offered some statement that made her shoulders sink, her expression softening into something akin to disappointment. She shrugged, staring at her food. Her sister lowered the peach she'd half-finished and said something. Hiei cursed quietly under his breath. Then Kuya looked up and smiled and Shinpi went back to eating.

"She looks sad, doesn't she?" Kuwabara spoke quietly, hands twisting around each other. "Do you think she wants to be alone?"

"We could all go over." Kurama voiced, distracted.

Shinpi licked her lips clean of the peach juice, so slowly that both Hiei and Kurama made small sounds in their throats. She bought her wet fingers to her mouth and her tongue slid over them too, her eyes partially closed.

"We should all go over." Hiei announced firmly.

"Yeah. Thanks guys." Kuwabara got to his feet.

Blue eyes turned toward them, drawn by the movement. Shinpi paused, pulling her finger away from her mouth to squint at them. Her gaze landed on Kurama.

"Are you okay?" She called to him with humor-laced concern.

"Me?" Kurama asked, slowly resurfacing from his hormones. He had gotten to his feet like the other, headed toward the girls. "Why do you ask?"

Shinpi rose too and walked over with a napkin. They met halfway and she wiped the napkin down the curve of his jaw delicately before tracing his chin, her lips parted as she dedicated herself to the slow movements. Her hand rose and she lifting the napkin up to press against the skin above his lips, her fingers brushing his lips in the process. She didn't explain at first, merely fought back a grin as he let her do her work.

"Your nose is bleeding." She finally leveled him with a look, eyebrows flicking up once then returning to neutral in a silent jab, making sure he knew that she _knew_.

His blush was furious, quick, and deep. He took the napkin from her and held it against his face, glad his hands were large enough that they could hide at least some of his embarrassment. She worked desperately not to laugh, turning her attention away. She caught Hiei's expression, swept her gaze over him and then flashed a wanton smile his way before turning around to lead them over to her table where her sister waited with curiosity etched into her expression.

"How's your blood pressure?" Hiei muttered to his friend.

"How's yours?" Kurama hissed in response, shooting him glare. "Don't pretend you're better than me."

"Oh no, I'm a filthy degenerate." Hiei admitted readily keeping his voice down as he scanned his crimson eyes down then up Kurama. He offered a dangerous smile. "I guess I'm in good company. I knew we were friends for a reason."

Kurama's glare darkened as he pulled the napkin away from his nose, folding it so he could wipe at any further traces of blood. When the material remained white he walked over to throw the soiled paper into the trash before returning to his group, sulking slightly.

"Want a bite?" Shinpi asked holding a peach out to the group of boys. "They're just perfect for eating."

"We have so many, we've been forcing them on people." Kuya explained with a light laugh. "We even made enough peach buns to practically feed an army."

"It's true. I made our dad take some to work with him. And Kin had enough to feed his whole class." Shinpi nodded. "Help yourselves."

"I'm not sure I could finish a whole peach at the moment." Kurama hesitated.

"I could." Hiei stated hungrily, accepting the offering and immediately biting into the sweet fruit, eyes locked on blue irises.

A smile coiled over Shinpi's face as she propped her elbow on the table, chin cradled in her palm. Then she picked up another peach, studying it. "They're one of my favorite fruits. I make all sorts of things out of them. Pie, jam, buns, smoothies, tea. But my favorite thing to do is just eat them. If you can't finish one maybe we can share, Kurama."

The redheaded boy felt vaguely lightheaded at her offer, which likely showed in the way he suddenly blinked. Swallowing he tried to reign himself in. He hated that he'd been shaken so completely, yanked forcibly out of his comfortable air of control. Still, reached for the fruit, fingers brushing hers in the process of accepting it.

"A wonderful idea." He allowed calmly.

"I could help you finish yours too." Shinpi smiled at Hiei. "If you need the help."

"I don't." He assured her, making a show of looking at her with his chin tucked ever so slightly. "I'm feeling ravenous all the sudden."

"You can take anything you want." She gestured to the table then finally grinned at Kuwabara with genuine warmth. "You have to try the peach buns though. We made them together but it was Kuya's idea. I'm sure you'll love them. Please take some."

"Hichi." Kuya whispered the plea, looking ready to strangle her sister. "If Kazuma isn't hungry you shouldn't force him to eat."

"I'm not sitting on top of him shoving it down his throat." Shinpi shrugged. "He's a grown man who make his own choice. He either wants to enjoy the dessert you labored over with love, or he doesn't."

Kurama raised his eyebrows at the obvious manipulation, biting into his gifted fruit. Kuwabara however didn't seem bothered about being strong-armed. He rushed over to sit beside Kuya and immediately tore into one of the buns, savoring it only for a moment before swallowing and rushing through several compliments.

"Kuwabara, chew your food. You look like an idiot eating like a damn duck." Hiei threw the barb with a dull expression. "You're going to choke."

"I did chew." Kuwabara didn't even glance at him. "They're really good Kuya. Thank you for sharing them with me."

"You like them?" She smiled sweetly, and then blushed. "You can take as many as you want. I can bring more tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Maybe sometime we can make something together. I've always wanted to get better at baking and stuff." He nodded readily, grinning with shining eyes.

"Y'know, our mom says that a man with an appetite for homemade food is husband material. You're going to make a woman very happy someday." Shinpi didn't look at her sister or anyone when she spoke, instead choosing to study her nails. Her delivery came easily, no accusation or hint of deception.

Still, both Kuwabara and her sister blushed scarlet.

"Would you like a bite?" Kurama extended his peach to her and she lifted her attention to him through her lashes. With a nod she leaned over, placing her hand on his to keep the fruit steady as she bit into it while it was still in his hand. Her eyes lowered only after she pulled back, licking her lips with a smile as she chewed. He had to cover his mouth and pretend to cough to hide the sound he'd made.

He got the impression she still heard it though because she chuckled.

Kuya cast her sister a judgmental look, which was received with a smile. Shinpi wiped her chin with a napkin, ridding herself of the juice that had wet her skin. "You two don't have to stand there, you can sit down. I won't bite, I promise."

She jumped slightly as Kuya's toes crashed into her shin, a warning to behave dancing in golden eyes. "Be nice to Kazuma's friends Hichi."

"I am being nice." She shot back pointedly.

Kurama and Hiei exchanged a sideways glance, each one hesitant for his own reasons. Kurama wasn't sure what sort of mayhem the girl would create if he sat directly beside her. Hiei mulled over the idea of them seeming too close. When neither of them made a move to join the table, Shinpi's expression changed. It was minute, but definitely a switch.

"Maybe it would be too crowded." She decided with a sigh before rising from her seat. She grabbed a peach bun and her bag.

"Hichi." Kuya called her name softly, the lines of her face showing her concern. "You don't-"

"I forgot my book." Shinpi shrugged once again, removing herself from the table completely. As she passed Kurama and Hiei she tossed them a smile that looked nowhere as sincere as her previous expression. "Enjoy the treats. Take some home please, we really do have too many."

"You don't have to go." Kurama told her, his peach hanging limp in his hand.

"I forgot my book, like I said." She told him as she continued her path toward the school doors.

"Good job idiots." Kuwabara rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Why do you two have to be so weird?"

Hiei glared at him. "I'm not being weird."

"She worked hard on these too." Kuya's voice was gentle and misleadingly kind. Her eyes however were not. She honed in on the two teenage boys with a ferocity that seemed to go over Kuwabara's head.

Kurama straightened under the look, acutely aware it was being aimed at him. "I'm sure she did."

Her eyes narrowed and when Hiei opened his mouth, that glare was pushed onto him as well. Then she straightened and it was obvious she was trying not to say something. Instead she began packing away the food left on the table, save for a selection of buns she handed to Kuwabara. The rest she put away in her lunch bag, quite effectively preventing Hiei or Kurama from partaking despite her sister's invitation.

"It seems a shame for you to carry all of that. We could take a few off your hands to lighten your load." Kurama offered attempting to match Kuya's soft version of warfare. A polite standoff formed between them.

"It would be a waste to give them to you." She countered with a smile. "Didn't you say earlier that you were too full to even finish a peach, Minamino? I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to accept something homemade just because it was offered."

"It's nothing, really." He pressed. "I would love to take some off your hands."

"You're being too kind, honestly."

Hiei watched them with a raised eyebrow before sliding his gaze to Kuwabara who shrugged in response. "Didn't you both say you had too many and you needed people to take some?"

"That's true, and thanks to Kazuma we have a few less."

"Are you okay?" Hiei asked, scanning her.

"I found my book." Shinpi's voice made her sister stiffen her mouth falling open slightly. Blue eyes assessed Kuya before turning toward the boys. Indeed she had a book in her hand, her bag still on her shoulder. "Why are you two still standing there? Just sit down for fucksake."

"Hichi! Language!" Kuya admonished quickly.

Both Kurama and Hiei relaxed some at Shinpi's reappearance. Hiei, surprising the others, was the one to greet her. "I thought we drove you off."

"As if you have the power to move me." She retorted, shooting him with a finger gun. "Why, were you hoping I wouldn't come back?"

"Just the opposite. We thought we'd offended you." Kurama told her with a smile, though his eyes shifted to Kuya for a brief moment. "I'm glad that's not the case."

"You did a little but I decided it wasn't worth getting bothered over. If you don't want to sit next to me that's fine. You don't owe me anything and I don't need anything from _either_ of you." She reclaimed her seat in the middle of the bench on her side of the table. "But seriously why are you guys just standing there?"

"Fear." Hiei told her blandly. "You said you don't bite but I don't believe you."

He had no reason to believe her, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. He knew for a fact she did bite but only in certain particularly enjoyable circumstances.

"Fair enough." She grinned, flashing her teeth. "At least you respect the fact I could tear you apart if I wanted to. I respect that. What's your brilliant excuse, Kurama?"

He looked between her and Hiei, tumblers aligning in his brain to click open the lock of a certain truth. Hiei had been obvious about his crush, in his own peculiar way, but now Kurama had another suspicion. That maybe the reason he seemed to sure was because he had already somehow cemented his station with the girl. That made Kurama's eyes narrow for a split second. How likely would it be that Hiei could hide something like a relationship? He weighed the odds.

"I was deciding which side I wanted to sit on." Kurama lied smoothly. "We're sharing a snack. I have logistics to consider."

Her eyebrows raised along with the left corner of her mouth. "Have you come to a conclusion?"

Kuwabara looked between the three of them, connecting dots he hadn't truly seen before then. Then he grinned, eyes gleaming. He kept his tongue in check for the moment but boy was he going to give it to both of them later. They had a crush on the same girl. That was bound to be trouble, but also pretty entertaining. The banter made Kuya relax some too, he noted. Her expression brightened as the miasma of frustration from earlier dissolved around her. He dared to let his thigh touch hers and she didn't pull away which made his smile broaden.

"The conclusion was obvious, I'm ashamed it took me so long to reach it." He flipped his hair over his shoulder, trying his best to appear nonchalant. He wanted his delivery to be cool, but also direct. "Either side is a privilege so I shouldn't be so choosy."

Hiei glanced at him, then snorted. He marched over and stepped onto the bench on Shinpi's right, planting himself on the cleared tabletop. That forced Kurama to station himself at her left. Her smile grew.

"I'm much more comfortable now, thank you." She announced happily. "Kuya could I have a peach bun? Why are they all put away?"

"I didn't want them to dry out." Kuya told her, delving into the bag to produce one for her sister.

"May I have one?" Kurama asked and Kuwabara shot him a dirty look that no one else saw. Kuya paused and then reluctantly passed one to him as well. Before Hiei could even ask she held one for him to take. "Thank you, Kuya."


End file.
